


Enchanted

by thejilyship



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marauders - Fandom, jily - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Prince James - Freeform, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, but there is some pinning, childhood crush, it's not a super slow burn like last time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 63,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25091647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejilyship/pseuds/thejilyship
Summary: Once upon a time there was a curious girl named Lily Evans. As a child, she ran through the Forbidden Forest and fairyland with her neighbor Remus Lupin, a fairy changling who had grown up in the mortal world. It's been five years since she's seen him now, and they aren't children anymore. So when she gets an invitation to attend a wedding in fairyland after years of no contact from Remus, Lily knows she has to go back.Choosing to go back though, sets off a chain of events that Lily could never have predicted.A chain of events that starts, with meeting the Prince of Fairyland, in the woods.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 170
Kudos: 248
Collections: James and Lily Fanfics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright. Here we go again. I think it's been about a month since I finished up Let Me Love You, and that was more than enough time for me to start missing posting a new chapter every weekend. So here we are, back at it with something very different! This is sort of inspired by The Cruel Prince in certain areas, definitely inspired by the world Holly Black built, but the story is it's own thing. Which I haven't done in a while, since I've been doing movie aus for the last year and half or so. 
> 
> I've been having a lot of fun writing this story, and I really hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

Lily pulled her purple jansport backpack back onto her shoulders after almost tripping over a hickory tree root that seemed as though it might have just jumped out of the ground, catching her ankle on purpose. 

Of course, under normal circumstances, that would be ridiculous. But these weren’t normal circumstances. She had an invitation from Remus Lupin, a fairy changeling that she’d grown up next door to, tucked into her jacket pocket and she was currently walking through the Forbidden Forest. A forest that was known as simply The Great Forest on the mortal side, but Lily knew better.

She hadn’t been in the Forbidden Forest in over five years and it was proving to be far more challenging than she remembered it to be. Though Remus had always been with her before, and he knew the ways of the forest, just as he knew the ways of the fae. But he wasn’t able to escort her through the forest this time, and she had been so confident that she would be able to do it on her own so she’d turned down his offer of sending a friend to collect her. 

The fae were tricky to navigate. 

You never knew what they were thinking, which could be said about humans as well, but when it came to the fae, they almost always wanted something from you, and it was almost always something terrible. Even if that favor was for Remus and he would be the one pay for the favor in some way, she wasn’t sure she would be comfortable walking through the forest with someone who wasn’t Remus.

So while she trusted Remus as much as she trusted anyone, she didn’t know who his fae friends were nowadays, and she definitely didn’t trust them. Remus had grown up in the mortal world, and as far as Lily could tell from her previous visits to the fairylands, that had made him a different kind of fairy. Remus had empathy, a trait she’d never seen in any other fairies.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and jumped over another malicious root, narrowly avoiding stepping into a ring of small white topped mushrooms. She cursed under her breath and made herself stop walking so that she could take a moment to reorient herself. 

She looked around the forest, trying to find some path or trail that she was supposed to take. Remus had always made this look so easy, and she had vivid memories of very specific parts of the wood that she hadn’t come across yet. Landmarks that she’d been counting on to get her through to the other side.

She hadn’t seen the thousand year old hickory tree, covered in more knots than leaves, she hadn’t seen the boulders that Remus said had once been giants before they stepped on the tale of a passing fae and she cursed them to stone. She hadn’t seen the pond where the water shimmered like liquid moonlight, where she’d once seen a unicorn. All she’d seen so far, where trees that all looked identical to one another. 

She huffed, and sat down on a fallen log. 

The forest was coated in magic. She should have guessed. Mortals weren’t welcome in fairyland, why wouldn’t the folk take precautions to prevent them from just coming in whenever they wanted. 

She saw something move out of the corner of her eye and sat up straighter. 

She couldn’t tell herself that it was just a shadow. She knew that there was someone there, she could feel it. The little hairs at the base of her neck were standing up, there was a buzzing running through her arms. These were all things that Remus told her she was not allowed to ignore if she wanted to come with him.

She pulled out a small coin from her pocket and placed it on the log next to her. It was a small trinket, but Remus had told her that smaller fae liked coins, and they were easy to carry around. She didn’t know what they would use them for, but then again, most people offered them honeyed milk, and they were probably very capable of putting honey in milk themselves. 

She wasn’t going to pretend that she understood the folk. She was just going to follow the advice that Remus had given her and hope for the best. 

She bit the tip of her tongue and shook her head. She shouldn't be gambling with her life like this. The creatures in these woods, folk and otherwise, were dangerous. One of them might decide to kill her just for the hell of it. They could glamour her or kidnap her for tricks and jests. They could cut off her ears or put rocks in her pockets and toss her into a lake. She’d heard stories. From Remus, from other mortals who had made it out of fairyland alive, from the fae who had committed these ‘pranks’. 

The buzzing in her arms intensified and she forced herself to take a slow breath and remain calm.

But when she looked to her left, there was no folk there, only a stag. 

Lily let out the breath she’d been holding and then laughed. “Only a stag,” She said, picking up the coin and putting it back in her pocket. “I got myself all worked up for nothing.” She looked back at the creature, who had no reason to fear her, as he’d probably never seen a human before, not when he’d been living in these enchanted woods. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know how I can get to Remus Lupin, would you?” She asked the deer, who’s warm brown eyes watched her carefully. 

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and bit the tip of her tongue again. “You’re not just a stag are you?” She asked quietly. “Please forgive me for my poor manners.” She bowed her head at the stag and thought about reaching into her pocket to put the coin back on the log. But the stag didn’t do anything. It just continued to watch her. 

And then Lily wasn’t sure if she’d been twice foolish now. Was this just a normal stag? She hadn’t been around any, this _could_ be normal behavior. 

But the one thing that Remus had drilled into her over and over before they entered fairyland together for the first time, was that she had to trust her instincts.

If something felt wrong, that’s because it was. 

Something felt wrong, and so she had to behave as though something was wrong, even when everything seemed fine. Folk with a plan were good at making everything seem fine. 

“I know you’re not a deer.” She said, trying to keep anything but deference out of her voice. “And I’m in your forest, so I’m going to leave you be, and get on my way. Alright?” 

The stag continued to look at her as though it didn’t understand what she was saying, but this creature couldn’t hide the intelligence that Lily could see in its eyes. 

“Alright then,” She nodded again and then took a few steps backward. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of turning her back on this creature, but she also couldn’t navigate the forest floor without watching where she was going. She could trip over the root or accidentally step into a fairy circle. 

She ended up walking kind of sideways, able to keep her eyes on both the stag and the ground. 

And when she was far enough away from the stag that it disappeared from view, she turned forward and jogged for a good five minutes.

Then she stopped and cursed some more. 

She was lost. Horrible, horribly lost, in the most dangerous place she could think of.

“You are lost.” 

Lily screamed and turned toward where the voice had come from. There was a boy, not much older than her, sitting on a low hanging tree branch, one leg propped up on the branch, and his elbow propped up on his knee. He looked harmless at a glance, but Lily zoned in on his pointed ears, his extra sharp canines and the small antlers poking out from his dark hair. 

He was fae. 

More than that, he was the stag from a few minutes ago. Part of her was glad to find out that she’d been right about the animal. Part of her was simply terrified.

He smiled in delight at having frightened her. “I did not know that I would frighten you.” 

There was no apology, and he couldn’t say that he didn’t mean to frighten her, since that would have been a lie. 

She bit down on her tongue and nodded. “It’s quite alright.”

“Because you are in my forest, right?” 

“It’s not my forest,” Lily nodded again. She tried to recall all of the rules, but she’d never met a fairy creature without Remus before, and she’d always just taken his lead. 

“Remus told me that you would be here.” The creature said, hoping down from the branch and landing gracefully on his feet. “Though you, Lily Evans, are a lot more jumpy than I remember you.” 

Lily pressed her lips together. Remus trusted whoever this was enough to tell them about her, and while some fae would think it a lovely trick to send some dangerous beastie after their friends while they're lost in the woods, Remus seemed more human than fae most of the time. He wouldn’t do that to her. He always put her safety above everything else when he invited her to fairyland.

“I don’t like being lost,” She said.

“I do not imagine that anyone would enjoy being lost.” The fae nodded. Lily noted the thin crown of golden twigs and leaves he was wearing as he stepped into a pool of sunlight, his face no longer hidden in shadows and Lily nearly gasped. 

“Your highness,” She quickly dropped into a bow. How the hell did Remus get _him_ to come and fetch her?

“Please rise, there is no need for such frivolities just now. It is only you and I in these woods, and I am doing a kindness to my friend. He was unable to come and fetch you himself, so I offered to do it for him.” 

He was telling her the truth, he was unable to lie, but there was something that he wasn’t telling her. Remaining vague and walking around the truth were how fairies deceived. 

“Is Remus alright?” Lily asked as she rose, not sure if she was allowed to look him in the face or not. 

“In most senses of the word.” The fae shrugged. He looked over her, and did not chide Lily for looking back at him. “You have not asked for my name,” He was smirking. “Does this mean you remember me?” 

Lily shifted her weight from one foot to the other and then stood straighter again. There were many princes in fairyland whenever she had been there. Because she only went on special occasions, and so royalty from all around came to celebrate. 

But there was only one High King, and he had only one son. “Prince James,” Lily bowed her head again. And when she looked up, his warm hazel eyes were swimming with mirth and mischief. Eyes the color of the forest on the last day of autumn. She remembered James of course. It would have been hard to forget about him, or his friends Sirius and Peter. 

They were not the cruel creatures that Remus warned her about, but they were the creatures that Lily remembered in her nightmares. She’d seen anyone of them curse mortals to hang from their toes until just before they would lose consciousness, give them tails when they deemed something they had done annoying. She’d seen Sirius with his hands wrapped around another fae’s neck, murderous rage written across his face. She’d seen Peter use his silver tongue to talk mortals and fae alike, into doing whatever he wanted them to do. She’d seen James dangle a creature out a window, holding them only by their wrist. 

They were cruel, but Remus had always considered them friends, reminding her over and over that there were no _kind_ fae. She wondered if perhaps they had turned against him and that was why he had been unable to walk with her through the forest. 

“Should I be worried for Remus?” 

“No.” He shook his head. “He is looking forward to seeing you. I do not understand why he likes you as much as he does, but I suppose we all have our pets.”

Lily scoffed, her cheeks heating up, “I am nobody’s pet!” 

James grinned at her, exposing his incisors. “You are, and you should consider yourself lucky that you are his.” He spun away from her and started into the forest. 

Her cheeks still felt splotchy, but she started following after him. 

He didn’t say anything, and she was glad. Navigating a conversation with the fae was exhausting. There was no chance to let your guard down. Besides, she’d just shouted at the High Prince, if he wanted to, he could punish her for that. And she didn’t fancy being a toadstool or a leaf bug. Nor did she want to spend the better part of the day upside down. 

She stepped where he stepped and held onto the straps of her backpack. 

His antlers are bigger than they were the last time she saw them. They stood now at about seven or eight inches tall, enough to be noticeable, but not tall enough where he really has to worry about them knocking on the lower hanging branches that they walk under. His hair was the same, like thistles in may. The color such a deep black that nothing reflected off any individual strands. His skin as rich and vibrant as the clay Lily would find near the riverbank. He was a creature of nature; wild and inhuman. 

Lily tried to keep her breathing normal, keep her fear under control. 

“I am surprised that you are so quiet.” James mused after ten minutes or so. 

Lily pressed her lips together and James turned his head to peer at her over his shoulder. 

“Remus told me that you were quite curious.” Why had Remus been talking about her? “He said that I should not take offence to any of your questions.” 

“I know how to conduct myself in fairyland.” Lily said in response. 

“Running around, lost in the Forbidden Forest is how one ought to conduct one’s self in fairyland?” James laughed, loudly and without restraint. And why should he not? He had nothing in these woods to fear. Lily flinched at the sound however, looking around herself for any danger.

“I didn’t mean to get lost,” She clenched her hands into fists around her straps. “I thought I would remember the way. I didn’t think that it would be glamoured without Remus with me.” 

“Ah,” James nodded. “It is rather impossible for a mortal to make their way through the woods alone. But do not fret, you made it quite a ways on your own and we are almost at the royal estate.” 

“The royal estate? Why are we going there? I’m meant to be going to a wedding, I think. Mary MacDonald’s wedding?” 

“Yes,” James nodded. “She wanted to get married on the castle grounds and I have no reason not to humor her. She and Reginald are good friends of the crown. I also consider them to be friends of mine when I am not wearing my crown,” He winked at her, but his joke didn’t land as he’d wanted it to. She continued to frown at him. “I am being as polite as I can be, Lily. Yet you are still nervous. What are you worried about?” 

“Saying the wrong thing,” She blurted out. Being able to lie was her one great advantage here, and yet she still went about blurting out the truth. 

“And what do you think the consequence for saying the wrong thing would be?” 

Lily shrugged and James started walking slower so that they were far closer to walking next to each other than him leading her through the woods. 

“I once saw you string someone up for an entire night.”

“And?” James narrowed his brow as though he were waiting for further explanation. “You do not like being upside down?” 

“The man could have died!” Lily almost shouted. “I’ve also seen you and your friends curse people with tales, erase their mouths, chase them down with a swarm of hornets, turn them into snake or frogs-”

“And if I give you my word that I shall use no magic on you, will that ease your nerves?” 

Lily shook her head. “No, I’ll make no deals with you. I’m not stupid.” 

He frowned again. “I was not insinuating that you were stupid.” 

She nearly rolled her eyes. “I know you weren’t, but still. I’m not making any deals with you.”

“A deal requires you to do something for me as well, I was only offering to put you at ease.” 

She narrowed her brow now. “Why?” 

James smiled now. “You are Remus’s friend. I do not wish you to be uncomfortable this evening.” He tilted his head. “I suppose I could glamor you into feeling at ease…” 

“No!” Lily nearly shouted, and then looked around them to make sure that she hadn’t caught anything else's attention. “No, thank you.”

“Right, no magic.” He reached up and ruffled his hair. “Why do you wish to come to fairyland if you do not like magic?” 

“I like magic plenty.” Lily argued, despite herself. “I simply don’t want you to use magic on me. Maybe if I had magic of my own, I’d feel differently, but I don’t have any. So I don’t want you to trick me into feeling at ease, or to trap me in a deal.” 

“I was not attempting to trap you.” He said plainly, truthfully. 

“That doesn’t mean that you won’t try in the future.” 

James nodded. “That is true.” 

They walked in silence again for a few more minutes. “I always liked you.” James said out of the blue. Lily felt like she was just one giant bundle of nerves. Every time he opened his mouth to say something, she almost flinched, thinking me might web her toes or cross her eyes. “I know I teased earlier about not understanding why Remus likes you, but I always liked you too.”

But then he said that he liked her. Twice. “What?” 

“You haven’t been to fairyland in a while. I have missed you. Remus used to bring you around a lot more often. I asked him why he stopped but he did not want to tell me. Though I have a few guesses.” He stopped walking and turned around to face her. “We should dance tonight,” Lily was holding her breath now. “Not the entire night of course, I know you came to see Remus, but you and I should dance at least once. Do you think that would be alright?” 

Lily looked from one hazel eye to the other, trying to figure out what his game was. “That might be alright.” She said quietly, not wanting to definitively say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ 

“You are still anxious.” He sighed and then spun back around and kept walking. 

“Yes,” She nodded and jumped over another twitchy root as she followed him. “I don’t remember feeling like this the last time I was here. Maybe it’s just because it’s been so long. Or maybe it’s because I’m older and all of this seems more real now.”

“It has always been real,” James held out his hand and a low hanging branch in front of him moved upward, out of their way. 

“I know it’s real,” She said quickly, eyeing the branch as she walked past it. It stayed where it was until she was out of the way and then lowered back to where it had been. “I was a kid the last time I was here though, only seventeen. My brain wasn’t fully formed and all that. Consequences didn’t seem as dire as they do now.” 

“No harm should come to you while you are here,” James said, his tone suggested that it was an offhand comment. He said ‘should’ instead of ‘shall,’ but it still made something in Lily’s stomach calm. He wasn’t promising that nothing would happen to her, but he was saying that he thought she should be relatively safe, and he was the prince, so that had to mean something.

And she hated being this tense. When she’d gotten Remus’ invitation, she’d been so excited to go back to fairyland. She’d been excited to be invited back into a world that was so full of magic. And yes, some of that magic was horrifying and made her belly turn to lead, but so much of that magic was beautiful. 

She took in a deep breath, even the air smelled like magic. A mix of damp forest and nostalgia. Stepping into this place had felt like waking up on Christmas morning in her childhood bed, or sitting up in her old treehouse, looking through the star catalog that she had Dorcas had put together. It felt like her mum’s homemade chicken soup and watching cartoons all day because she had a stomachache and a test she didn’t want to take at school. 

But this wasn’t just a memory. This was something that she could step back into. 

Lily took another deep breath, but this time to steal herself. “I’m sorry,” She said, something she’d never heard a fae say, and so she showed her humanity. “I don’t know why I’m so on edge. I appreciate that you took the time to show me the way through the woods and I would love to dance with you later.” 

James looked at her over his shoulder, a small smile on his lips. “Are you sure? You need not dance with me if you do not want to. I would hate for you to say yes simply because you feel you have to.”

“Good, but no. I’m sure I’d like to. Dancing with the fairy prince will make me feel a bit like Cinderella I suppose.” 

He tilted his head to the side. “Who is Cinderella?” 

“A girl who loved magic and went to party she was told not to go to.” 

His head stayed tilted to the side. “Did someone tell you not to go to this party?” 

“Yes. I told myself not to go.” Lily laughed. “Which was stupid of me, because I knew that I was going to go as soon as I saw Remus’s handwriting.” 

“Then why did you tell yourself not to go?” 

“Because I’m a grown up now,” Lily smiled at him, pushing her hair behind her ear again. “I have a job, and responsibilities and bills and plans that I had to break to be here. And it’s not as though I could explain to anyone where I was going. They’d think I was crazy if I tried to tell them.” 

“Being grown up does not sound all that fun.” 

“And now you sound like Peter Pan.” 

“Is he a friend of yours.” 

“No.” Lily shook her head. “And I don’t think being grown up is all that bad. Maybe for other people, because they grow up and stop believing in magic. But I don’t have to do that, because I know that it’s real.” 

James had slowed down again so he was walking beside her. “Living without magic would be truly awful.” 

Lily shrugged. “I don’t like it. But other people don’t know any better.” 

“You should come to fairyland more often then.” He declared. “If you like magic as much as it sounds like you do, you could stay if you wished.” 

Lily laughed. “Well, I don’t know about that. You seem quite welcoming, but most of the fae that I’ve met don’t like mortals all that much.” 

“No, I suppose they would not make you feel at home.” And he looked truly distraught over that. Then he was smiling at her again and Lily was hit with the truth of just how very attractive he was. It hadn’t hit her in full the first few smiles he’d given her since her fear had been messing with her head. But now that she was calmer, well his smile made her heart race for different reasons. “Can I ask you what you have in your bag?” 

Lily cleared her throat and pulled at her straps. “Well, you didn’t think that I’d be wearing this to the wedding, did you?” She asked, looking down at her jeans, trainers and jumper. “And I brought peanut butter and banana sandwiches.” 

“Not all of our food is unsafe for mortals to eat,” James reminded her. 

“I know, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Someone gave me a laced blueberry tartlet when I was twelve and I couldn’t speak coherently for almost three days. My mum took me to the doctors because she thought I was having a stroke.” She shook her head. “Though Remus used to bring me fairy sweets sometimes.” She looked at James for a moment. “Can I ask you something about Remus?” 

James shrugged his shoulders and then nodded. 

“Why hasn’t he visited me? It’s been five years now. I was surprised to hear from him at all, happy of course, but surprised. His parents haven’t even seen him.” He hadn’t even answered her letters these last couple years. 

James’ hand went back to his hair. 

“I will let you talk to him,” James said. “It is not my place to divulge other creatures' secrets.” 

It was a good answer, the answer that he should give, but it only served to twist Lily’s stomach into more knots. 

“We are here,” James’ voice changed as he pulled back the last branch and revealed the ivy-covered castle nestled between the hills. It reminded Lily of old Disney movies, but gave her the feeling of practicing tornado drills at school. James was smiling at her, and her friend was just over the rolling hills that separated the castle from the wood, and so soon she was smiling again too. 

“It’s more beautiful than I remember.” She said quietly. James seemed to like that answer. 

“I wish I could see it through your eyes.” He said, just as thoughtful as he’d been earlier. “You look awe inspired.” 

“I am,” Lily grinned at him. 

“Good,” James nodded. “Let us go and find, Remus. I am sure the two of you have much to catch up on.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Walking up to the gates of the castle, with the crown Prince at her side no less, felt a bit like a lucid dream she was sure to wake up from at any moment. The colors here were too bright, the sky seemed to hang too low, the flowers were too big; magic pulsed through the air here, making everything look different than it did in the mortal world. 

“Shall I take you to Remus or to your room first?” James asked, throwing Lily for yet another loop. 

She clenched her fingers around the straps of her backpack and thought over what he said before she responded, wanting to be sure that there was no way that she could have misinterpreted what he’d just said. “Where is my room?” 

“The east wing is for visitors.” 

“The east wing of the castle?” Lily was fairly sure that her voice jumped an octave or two, but she couldn’t believe that he was telling her that she would get to stay in the castle with such an air of nonchalance. 

“Yes, the castle,” James narrowed his brow and then smiled at her, his hand jumping up to his hair in a gesture that Lily had forgotten about. He used to do that all the time when they were younger, right before he caused trouble. Lily braced herself. “You did not think that I would make you stay in the bog or something, did you?” 

Lily was still tense, waiting for the punchline, waiting for whatever _magic_ punch he was going to send her way. 

He sighed, his hand falling to his side, making him look more boyish than creature, despite the antlers still protruding from his head. “I am not going to turn you into a frog, Lily. I was only making a joke.” 

“I don’t remember your jokes being so tame. I also wasn’t expecting to stay in the castle.” 

“Well that is where Remus is staying, and you are his guest. Why would you not stay in the castle?” 

“I’m mortal,” She shook her head. “I didn’t know that it was allowed.” 

James narrowed his eyes now. “I am the prince, I can allow or forbid whatever I wish. And I wish for you to stay in the castle while you are here.” 

Lily felt a rush at that. There was something that made her feel powerful about him talking about her like that. He wasn’t commanding her, he wasn’t telling her what she had to do, but he was suggesting that he preferred her to be comfortable and safe than for the old fae to be happy. And she knew that the old fae would not be happy with her staying in the castle. 

“I didn’t know that Remus was staying here either.” 

James nodded. “It is safer that way for everyone.” He blinked and looked at her again, “I did not mean to say that. He is a friend and I only wish to care for him. That is why he lives in the castle.” 

Lily’s eyes were wide. “What do you mean safer for everyone?” 

“I told you earlier, it is not my secret to tell. Now, follow me and we will find Remus.” He left no room for argument as he started down the corridor.

The castle had been picked up from a fairytale and placed here in the middle of these rolling hills. There was ivy growing up the side of the deep gray stones, there was small romantic details carved into the archways and windowsills. There were guards standing still at the entrances, wearing leather and swords. The castle seemed alive somehow, in the same way that the trees had felt alive in the forest. 

When they reached Remus’ room in the east wing, Lily’s heart was racing. She was excited to see her friend, but she had no idea what she was about to find out about him. Why was everyone safer with him living in the castle? Why had he not visited her in the mortal world in so many years? Why had he suddenly invited her here after he hadn’t even written her in so long?

James knocked on the door before he pushed it opened and walked in. “Remus,” Lily tentatively stepped in after him, not sure if she was ready for this meeting. “Lily is here.” 

“Lily?” She knew that voice though, and that put her mind at ease enough for a smile to spread over her face. 

“Remus?” She walked further into the room, looking around at the fine decorations that had not adorn his childhood home, that she could not connect to him. They were ornate and gold and velvet. They were not warm and friendly. 

And then there he was. The boy who had been bathed in sunlight as a child, who had once had curly hair that could have been made of springs and sugar candy. He looked so much older, and not like he should look older since he was now in his twenties and she hadn’t seen him since they were teenagers. He looked _old_ and tired, he had shadows under his eyes and his fair fell limp. 

He walked up to her with a smile that wasn’t reaching his eyes and she stepped into his arms for a hug. She pulled him close and could feel his bones in a way she shouldn’t have been able to. “It’s so good to see you!” He said, pulling back and looking her over. “You’re beautiful, of course. I forgot how fast mortals age, but it looks good on you.” 

“You would stop aging if you stayed here,” James interjected. 

Remus raised his brow at the prince and nodded. “What a fun fact.” He smiled at Lily and then looked back at James. “Thank you for helping her through the woods. I really do appreciate it.” 

“Of course. I would not want her to be found by any other creature. I am happy to have helped you.” 

Remus bowed his head and then James walked out of the room. 

“He’s very different than I remember.” Lily said quietly, not sure how well James’ fae ears could hear after the door was closed. 

“He is,” Remus agreed. 

“You,” Lily reached out and touched his lackluster hair. “You are much different. What happened to you? It felt as though you and this place had fallen off the edge of the world. That I’d just dreamed it all up or imagined the entire thing.” 

Remus sighed. “I know. I should have written to you, but I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t know what to say,” He sighed and nodded toward a small table in the corner of the room. It was surrounded by windows and overlooked the most magnificent lake that Lily had ever seen. The water looked liked it was made of glass, still and a perfect reflection of the forest that grew along the far edge. 

“Something happened. James said that he wouldn’t tell me because it wasn’t his secret to share, but then when we were coming into the castle he said that you lived here for your safety and the safety of others. Is someone trying to hurt you?” 

Remus fell more than sat in one of the heavy, oak chairs at the little table. Lily took a quiet seat next to him. “No, no one is trying to hurt me. And I sort of wish someone would have told you so that I didn’t have to. I hate telling people.” 

Lily reached out and put a hand on his knee. He was still there, she could see bits and pieces of the little boy she’d grown up with, like pricks of sunlight through the forest canopy. But he’d weathered a storm recently that she knew nothing about. 

“I’m a werewolf.” He said bluntly, sitting up straighter only to slouch back against the chair a moment later. 

“Werewolves are real?” Lily knew that that was the wrong question, but it was the first one that sprouted on her tongue. 

Remus gave her a soft smile. “Right, I forget that there are still parts of this world that you don’t know about.” He nodded. “Yes, there are werewolves and I am one of them.” 

“ _Twilight_ type werewolves?” She asked, though judging by his appearance, she was going to guess that it was a no. 

Remus snorted, “No, Jacob was a shapeshifter, not a werewolf, remember?” 

Lily laughed, put a bit more at ease now that he was making mortal references and smiling more. “Okay, well then what does it mean?” 

“It’s not good.” Remus said, folding his arms over his chest. “And it’s why I haven’t been able to visit you. If I stay in fairyland, then I only transform into a wolf once a month, when the moon is full. If I go to the mortal land, then I turn into a wolf immediately.” 

Lily pressed her lips together and tried not to ask another ignorant question. “Why is it bad?” 

“I’m not myself when I turn into the wolf.” Remus said quietly. “I lose control over myself, I wake up the next morning unable to remember what happened. It’s like when Bruce Banner turns into The Hulk.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. 

“Oh,” Lily tried to process all this new information. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t thought werewolves could be real. And if they were real, that meant other creatures that she hadn’t thought lived in fairyland could be real as well. Sirens, mermaids, vampires? They could all be just around the corner here. 

Instead of frightening her, it thrilled her. 

“I’m sorry that you’re going through this,” Lily reached out for his hand and he allowed her to take it. “I wish I would have known something was wrong so that I could support you through it.” 

Remus shook his head. “I didn’t need you worrying about me. It’s bad enough that my mortal parents were worrying about me, but I can’t go home and visit them.” He looked down at the tips of his shoes. “I tried to write to you, Lily.” 

“Remus,” 

“No, I did, and I should have tried harder. I didn’t mean to just disappear on you.” 

Lily pulled him in for a hug. She had been hurt by his sudden disappearance from her life. He’d been the gate to the magical world to her, and one of her best friends. When he disappeared, magic disappeared as well, and even if she had only spent a handful of weeks in fairyland throughout her childhood, losing magic had felt debilitating for a long time. “We’re together now, yes? That has to count for something.” 

When she pulled back, Remus was smiling slightly. He must have known that she was making light of the situation, not because she hadn’t been upset, but because she couldn’t be mad at him for it. She sat back at the table and grabbed her backpack, reaching in to pull out two peanut butter and banana sandwiches. “Would you like one?” 

Remus’ eyes lit up. “Yes please!” He took the sandwich and Lily laughed as she watched him rip away the cellophane. “I have missed mortal food so much! I mean, fairy food is good of course, but they don’t have peanut butter,” He smiled at her, a large bit in his mouth. “You didn’t happen to bring marshmallows, did you?” 

Lily reached into her backpack. “You can’t have peanut butter and banana sandwiches without marshmallows.” She pulled out the bag and tossed it to him. 

As they ate their snack, he filled her in on what had been going on in fairyland. Who Mary and Reginald were, why they were getting married at the castle, how he’d come to live in the castle, though she got the feeling he was leaving quite a bit out. He also told her about James, Sirius and Peter. 

“They’re a lot calmer now than you remember them. Fairy children are never very well behaved.” 

“You were well behaved.”

“Yes, but I wasn’t full fairy. I grew up in the mortal land, same as you. Fairy children grow up more wild, with less love from their parents and more independence. Older fae find their antics humorous instead of harmful.” He shrugged. “James will take the throne soon, and I think he’ll be a good king. Kind and fair.” 

Two words that Lily wouldn’t have ever thought to associate with Prince James. 

“He was very kind to me in the woods. He didn’t threaten to turn me into a toad at all. And my feet stayed on the ground the entire time.” Remus chuckled. 

“I forgot how much of their antics you saw when you were here. But you should get no threats from any of them, to be a toad or anything else. James seemed glad that I was inviting you back.” 

“Yes,” Lily nodded. “I was surprised about that. He asked if I’d dance with him tonight.” Remus laughed. 

“You don’t have to dance with him.” 

“He also made sure that I knew that.” 

“Good. I think we should start getting ready now. The sun will be setting soon, and guests should be arriving shortly after that.” 

“I didn’t know that this was a fancy castle wedding,” Lily stared at her backpack dubiously. “I don’t have any ball gowns.”

Remus looked her over. “Would you like one?” 

“I don’t want to stand out,” She said, not sure if he actually had the ability to procure her a gown. “I mean, I know that I’m going to stand out anyway,” She touched the tips of her rounded ears. “But I don’t want to stand out any more than I have to.” 

Remus nodded. “I think we can work something out. We have time.” 

He introduced her to a small fae woman named Marlene, who’s skin had a greenish hue to it and she told Lily that she was from the sea. 

A real live mermaid helped Lily get ready for the wedding. 

She made sure to give Remus a look of pure excitement before he walked out the door and he smiled at her. She hoped to make him smile as often as she could while she was here. She didn’t like how she’d found him, all sunken and dull. 

“This hair is to die for,” Marlene cooed as she twisted and knotted it into such an intricate updo that Lily wasn’t sure that she was ever going to get it down again. Not that she would mind all that much, the finished look was completely remarkable. 

And the dress Marlene gave her to wear was phenomenal as well. Petal pink with gold embellishments, gossamer lace sleeves and it made her feel like a princess. She didn’t remember feeling like much of the fairy world was safe and storybook like before. 

Marlene dusted gold flakes over Lily’s cheekbones and painted her lips a bright pink and then stepped back and smiled at her. 

“Stunning!” She reached out and tapped Lily’s nose. “Absolutely stunning.” 

“Thank you,” Lily said, turning around to look at herself in the full-length mirror that was framed in gold branches and leaves. She was a bit taken back when she saw herself standing beside Marlene, the mermaid. She didn’t look out of place at all. Marlene had hidden the tips of her ears, and it didn’t even look as though she’d done it on purpose, so she looked as though she might be a fae creature herself. 

“Wow,” Lily said softly, which made Marlene giggle and grip her hand. 

“You like it?” 

“I love it.” She said, turning her head from side to side, watching the candlelight catch the flakes of gold on her cheeks. “This gown is so pretty. Thank you for letting me wear it.” 

“When Remus asks for a favor, I have no problem helping out.” Marlene grinned, leaning closer to the mirror. “Alright, I need to put my gown on and then we will go and find him again! Yes? I am sure you are very excited to see everyone again. It has been so long since you have been here.” 

“Did you and I,” Lily shook her head, “Sorry, I just, I’m not sure that I remember meeting you before.” 

“I used to be much greener,” Marlene laughed, “And my hair looked like seaweed. But I’m full grown now.” She ran her slightly webbed fingers through her long blonde hair and batted her eyelashes at her. 

“I do remember you,” Lily nodded, and she did. She had been terrified on Marlene when she was a child. She hadn’t looked anything like a mermaid, but maybe something that would crawl out of the swamp and pull you back in with it. 

If she remembered correctly, Marlene had actually threatened to do exactly that to a few different people. Never Lily though. 

Marlene danced out of the room and came back a moment later with her own dress of lilac purple, which complimented her green skin tone rather well. “Now I am nearly as lovely as you,” Marlene announced as she twirled around the room. “Let us go and find Remus. We shall see if he has cleaned up as nicely as we have.” Marlene linked arms with Lily and started dragging her out the door. 

The wedding was nothing like Lily thought it would be. There was no formal ceremony for one thing. The bride and groom just disappeared after greeting everyone and then when they came back, they were married.

“The vows are supposed to be a private thing between the bride and groom,” Remus explained while Lily clapped along with everyone else. “They promise to be together, and then they come back for the celebration.” 

“That’s nice,” Lily said. She’d been to many mortal weddings and they were all beautiful and nice of course, but they were also long and stuffy. This one took place out under the stars, and while she knew it would be a long party, since fae parties typically lasted until the sun came up, or it wasn’t considered a good party, there was nothing stuffy about it. “Are the stars always this bright here?” She asked, looking up. They seemed bigger than she’d ever seen them, like they were somehow closer to the rest of the universe while in fairyland. 

“Yeah,” Remus shrugged. “I suppose they are.” 

“You’ve not been in the mortal world in a long time,” Lily reminded him and his nonplussed attitude. “They don’t look like this there.” She reached up, imagining that she might just be able to pluck one out of the sky. 

Remus smiled at her. “I’m not jaded,” He said. “I know that they’re beautiful.” 

“Good,” Lily laughed. “But you did sound a little jaded.” 

“Would you like to dance?” Lily was startled when she realized that it wasn’t Remus who asked this. She watched his face harden before she turned to find the owner of the new voice. 

He had shoulder length black hair tucked back behind his pointed ears and eyes so dark that they appeared to be entirely black. “Me?” Lily asked, raising her brow. 

“Yes,” The stranger didn’t smile at her. “I noticed that you had not been asked to dance yet.” 

“Oh,” Lily clenched at the soft lace fabric at her sides. “Well, I was asking Remus questions about the wedding and such. I came here with him.” 

“I see,” The man nodded his head. “Of course, everyone knows that you came here to see Remus, but I did not realize that he had laid claim to you.” 

Remus put a hand on Lily’s arm even as she scoffed. Some part of her brain realized that Remus was trying to calm her, trying to warn her against shouting at this male fae, but the louder part of her brain could not stand the misogyny. “No one has _laid claim_ to me. I only meant that I came here to spend time with my friend, not to dance with strangers.”

“Thank you for extending your hospitality, Severus.” Remus gave him a small smile and Lily bit the tip of her tongue. Had she offended him? She had gotten upset with James earlier when he’d suggested that Remus somehow owned her or had called dibs earlier. She hadn't been thinking straight when she’d opened her mouth. 

She’d broken the first rule of fairyland. _Again_. 

“Yes, thank you,” She nodded her head. “I do very much appreciate your offer.” 

Severus didn’t look completely pacified by her appreciation, but he nodded and then walked off. 

“Dammit.” Lily muttered. “How bad did I just screw everything up?” 

Remus shook his head. “It’s not as bad as you think it is.” 

“Are you sure? Because that sounded like a roundabout way of saying that it’s pretty bad.” 

“It wasn’t good.” He allowed. 

“I don’t remember him. Have I met him before?” 

Remus shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably. I’m not sure why he’s here, to be honest.”

“Was he not invited?” 

Remus gave her a smile. “Everyone is invited, it’s a fairy wedding. It just generally assumed that if you’ve personally insulted the bride on multiple occasions, you don’t show up.” 

“He insulted Mary?” 

Remus nodded. “Yeah, it took three healers to get her back to normal.” 

Lily shook her head and closed her eyes. “Wait, what? I thought you said insulted, did you mean _assaulted._ ” 

Remus rubbed his hand along his jaw. “It was a big thing. Severus didn’t actually hurt her, but he did try to defend the people that did.”

“Why did they do anything to her? Were you all still kids?” 

Remus shrugged. “Sort of, but it wasn’t really a joke. They said it was of course, but it was dark magic, and dark magic isn’t a joke to anyone. Even young fae.” 

“What’s the difference-”

“There you are, Lily,” And that was James. When she turned to look at him, she saw that Sirius and Peter were flanking him. He was smiling at her again, like he’d done in the forest and it hit her just as hard. He was all cleaned up, his hair styled to show off his antlers, his suit jacket colored to bring out the colors in his eyes. Every detail added something to his overall appearance and Lily almost reached out to touch him. 

Luckily, his friends spoke up before she could make a fool of herself. 

“Lovely to see you again, Red.” Sirius smiled at her and extended his hand. Lily cautiously took it and returned the smile to be polite. She needed to work on remembering to be polite. Going to uni had shortened her fuse with men, but these weren’t normal men and she still wasn’t convinced that one of them wouldn’t turn her into a worm if she annoyed them, despite James’ assurance that he wanted to keep her safe while she was here. She needed to be more polite, and less distracted by James. 

“Yes, we were all rather excited when Remus told us that he was inviting you to come and visit again.” Peter nodded, grinning at her like he knew something she didn’t.

“Were you now,” Lily smiled at Peter. “I feel as though you all remember our time together very differently.” 

Sirius laughed, loudly, tossing his head back. Peter was laughing as well. Lily didn’t think that she’d said anything worth that much laughter. “Oh Red,” Sirius clapped her shoulder, but he was looking at James. “We remember everything that happened.”

“Then why were you excited to see me again?” 

Sirius shrugged and looked at Peter. “It’s always fun to see a mortal. Especially one that isn’t glamoured and still remains unafraid of us.” 

“Especially one that is able to glamour-” James elbowed Peter in the side and Sirius laughed again. 

She didn’t want to correct him by informing him that she was in fact, very afraid of him and his friends. How could she not be? James seemed to know that Lily was not as unafraid as Sirius thought she was, but he didn’t say anything about it. 

“Would you like to dance now, or later on?” He asked, his charming smile returning. Had his friends been teasing him, as well as her? She felt like she was missing something. 

“Later on,” Remus answered for her. James narrowed his eyes at his friend and Remus quickly explained his reasoning. “Severus just asked her to dance. It’s probably best not to anger him.” 

“I am unworried about angering Severus.” James said in a clipped voice. “He should not be here.” 

“No.” Sirius agreed. “He should not.” They both looked around them, surveying the party guests with a new light. 

“Does Mary know?” Peter asked. “Mary would not want him here.” 

“He is going to ruin her night.” Sirius agreed. “Especially if he brought his friends with him.” 

“He never travels alone.” James muttered. “When did you see him?” He looked between Remus and Lily. 

Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. He was here about five minutes ago? Remus thinks I insulted him.” 

“You did.” Remus bumped her with his elbow. 

“Well I didn’t want to dance with him! I don’t even know him! Then he suggested that you _own_ me!” She almost covered her face with her hands, but then remembered all the time Marlene had put into her makeup. 

“We will go and find him.” Sirius said, “Get him to leave.” 

“You have nothing to worry about, Lily.” James nodded. 

And then the three of them started back into the crowd. 

“I should probably go with them,” Remus said, taking a step forward. 

“You can’t leave me alone,” He gave her a wry smile. 

“Why? Are you afraid to talk to new people?” 

Lily lowered her voice. “I’m afraid to talk to _these_ new people.” She nodded. 

“Lily, you’re staying in the castle as a friend of the prince. No one is going to give you a hard time.” 

“What if Severus comes back?” 

“Then shout!” He sighed. “Look, if I don’t go with them, then who knows what they’re going to do. I know they said that they’re going to kick them out so that they can’t ruin Mary’s night, but they’ll end up ruining her night when Severus and company decide that they don’t want to leave quietly. Someone needs to play the mediator and that’s usually my job.” 

“Fine.” Lily nodded, because this made sense to her. What he was saying now fit with what she knew about James, Sirius and Peter. “Fine, I’ll go and find Marlene. See what she’s up to.” 

Remus nodded. “Alright, I’ll meet up with you later. Don’t drink the wine!” 

“I know!” She waved her hand after him and watched him disappear into the crowd too. 

She stayed where she was, looking around the garden, looking for any sign of her new mermaid friend, but there were so many people here, so many people to look at. Every single one of them had their hair intricately done up in curls, braids or twists, decorated with sticks, flowers, leaves, and on one gentleman, moss. 

She smiled as she continued to take in everyone’s party attire.

They were all fascinating. And she could feel herself calming as she let the cloak of protection that being the prince’s guest was, fall comfortably over her shoulders. 

She took a deep breath, ready to step into the party and mingle with the magical creatures that she’d always been so weary of. Perhaps she could find the bride and groom, properly introduce herself. But when she took her first step, dread crept up the back of her spine, gripping her lungs and preventing her from calling out for help. 

Before she could realize why she was afraid, her world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot that we get to the action so quickly in this fic! I hope you're enjoying it! Let me know what you think below!


	3. Chapter 3

Lily woke up the next morning with the sunlight in her eyes. 

She squinted and rolled over in bed. She wasn’t ready to wake up yet. She couldn’t remember much of the party last night, but that had to be why she was so tired. Her limbs were stiff and she wasn’t ready to move yet. 

“Meow,”

Lily cracked her eyes open and saw a cat lounging on the pillow next to hers. 

“Good morning. Are you given free range of the castle?” She asked. “Or did I somehow trick you into following me last night?” 

And then the fear came back, quite suddenly and without any pressing reason. 

She remembered, all at once, the terror that had seized her before she had been able to find Marlene, she remembered it taking hold of her right before everything went black. There were no memories after that.

Lily sat bolt upright in the bed and looked around. 

At first glimpse, she had almost calmed down and reigned in the fear. It could have been a room in the castle. It was furnished nicely and everything was just as ornate, but the walls were wood instead of stone, the windows were square instead of arches. And it smelled wrong. 

She looked back at the cat and narrowed her eyes. “Are you really a cat?” She asked quietly, it tilted it’s head and Lily scooted away from it. “Don’t answer that.”

How did she get here? She was still in her dress from last night, and she appeared to be uninjured, but she had no recollection of how she’d gotten from the party to this room. One minute she was looking for Marlene, and then nothing. She’d woken up here next to the cat (who was hopefully a real cat.)

She walked to the window first, perhaps because she knew that she'd find the door locked. 

She looked outside and saw the Forbidden Forest reaching toward her. Thick, mossy branches, and the smell of damp earth. And a forty-foot drop to the ground if she wanted to try and jump. 

She steeled herself and walked toward the door. 

It was locked, just as she’d thought. The fear came back in full force and her breath caught in her throat.

“Hello!” She banged on the inside. There was no use in being quiet, it wasn’t as though the people who brought her here and locked her in the room, didn’t know where she was. “Hello!” She called again, hitting the door harder, sending a jolt of pain up her arm.

“Meow,” 

“I will throw you out the window if you don’t stop looking at me like that.” Lily did not feel good about threatening a cat, but she didn’t feel good about anything at the moment. 

“Hello?” A quiet voice called out.

Lily squared her shoulders. One should not have to wake up this way. She felt very disoriented. “Who are you?” 

“My name is Charity. I need you to step away from the door so I can bring in your breakfast. And the cats.” 

Lily looked back at the cat again. 

“Okay.” She didn’t move away from the door. 

“I know it looks like a real door, but it’s not. I can see through it. I can’t come in until you move away from the door.” 

Lily stepped closer to the door and touched it. It shimmered under her fingers, but nothing else about it changed. It still looked like a real door. 

The girl on the other side, Charity, she didn’t say anything else. Apparently she’d decided to just let Lily look for herself, or maybe she’d gotten tired of waiting and had left to take care of the other women being held prisoner in this place. 

Lily looked at the walls, trying to tell if the same charm that was on the door, was on the walls as well. Then she took a few steps back, but not too many, because she was definitely going to try and run out when the door opened. 

But the door didn’t open. It shimmered again, and then a young woman stepped through with a tray of food. She walked toward a small table and Lily rushed back over to the door, pressing her palm against it. It was solid again. She yelled out in frustration. 

“Why am I here?” Lily asked, spinning back around to see Charity setting a small bowl of food on the pillow beside the cat. Did that mean that it wasn’t just a cat? Or did fairies just really like cats? Or was the cat a prisoner too and Charity just liked cats?

“Well, Master Severus wanted you here.” 

“Severus?” Lily shook her head. Wasn’t that the fae from the party that Remus had told her she insulted? Had her failure to follow the rules he’d given her since day one landed her in this mess? Charity turned around and tucked a lock of hair over her very round and mortal ears, distracting Lily. “You’re not fae.” 

“Yes, Severus, and no, I’m not fae. Neither are you!” 

“Did they glamour you?” 

Charity’s face scrunched up. “Oh, well, I don’t- I’m not really sure-” She shook her head, her face relaxing. “You’re so very lucky, ma’am.” 

“Ma’am?” If she was a prisoner, why was the person calling her ‘ma’am?’ “Charity, I’m being kept here against my will, I’m not lucky. I was knocked out last night and stolen away in the night. And I’m almost positive that you’re being kept against your will too.” 

“No.” She shook her head. “I love being here and working for Severus. We are friends.” 

Lily looked at this girl, who’s eyes were a bit too wide, a bit too dull and knew that that was not at all the truth. But humans could lie, and if glamoured, they could lie to themselves.

“And you are lucky,” Charity smiled. “You get to marry, Severus!” 

The world seemed to tilt sideways and fall out of focus for a moment. 

“Marry him!” Lily shrieked. “I’m not going to- I won’t- what does he want to marry me for? I’m a mortal!” 

Charity laughed. “Look at you blushing,” Lily was positive that she wasn’t blushing, but she wasn’t going to take her anger out on this poor woman who had been tricked into loving her prison. “And fae sometimes take mortal wives. Fae women have such a hard time getting pregnant that they might all die out if they didn’t!” 

Lily shook her head, her stomach felt as though it had just turned itself inside out and she found herself fighting off the urge to vomit. “I’m not going to marry him.” 

“Oh dear,” Charity brought a hand up to her face and shook her head. “You look a bit pale, here, drink the tea. It’ll make you feel better.” 

Lily scooped the tea up and took a drink. She tasted peppermint and honey and something she couldn’t identify. 

She looked down at the cup in horror. “What did you give me?” 

“It’ll make you feel better!” Charity promised. 

“Did you just give me fairy fruit?” 

“Not a lot,” Charity moved about the room. Opening curtains and straightening pillows. “Only enough to-”

“Make me feel better.” She could feel the effects now. She should have just vomited all over the floor. Her body started to feel lighter, her fingers felt like they were made of bubbles and her shoulders relaxed. “I _do_ feel better now.” She gave Charity a small smile. 

“See! I told you! Mortals are always so afraid of fairy fruit, but it’s so good!” 

Lily looked at the teacup and knew that she shouldn’t drink anymore, but it _had_ been very good, so she found herself bringing it back up to her lips and taking another sip. 

“Eat your breakfast too. I’m not sure if you had dinner last night.” 

“I had marshmallows and a sandwich with my friend, Remus.” 

“Remus Lupin? The werewolf?” 

“Yes,” Lily giggled. “I didn’t even know that werewolves were real until yesterday!” Charity laughed with her and Lily took a seat at the table and started picking at the food. Eggs and toast, nothing special. 

“Werewolves are bad,” Charity clicked her tongue and started petting the cat. Why hadn’t Lily pet the cat? She liked cats most of the time, though this one still made her uneasy and she couldn’t remember exactly why. 

“I only know one and he’s good. I also met a mermaid yesterday!” 

“A mermaid! I think I’d like to be a mermaid, I don’t know why Ariel gave up her voice to live up here.” 

“Right?” Lily shook her head and stuffed the rest of her toast in her mouth. 

There was a knock on the door and then it shimmered again before Severus stepped through. “Good morning, ladies.”

“Morning, master Severus,” Charity bowed her head. 

Lily kept smiling, but a shadow of unease cast itself over her. She laughed. “You kidnapped me,” 

Severus gave her a small smile, the kind of smile that made her think that Severus didn’t let himself smile all that often. “I did take you away from the party, yes. Charity, do you think you could give me and Lily a moment alone?” 

Lily frowned at her new friend as she picked up the cat and the tray and walked out of the room. “Why did you make her leave? I like her.” 

“Charity is a fine servant.” Severus said, as though he was agreeing with her. “Though you and I have much to discuss.” 

“I’m not going to marry you.” 

Severus’ eye twitched, but he gave her another awkward smile and took a seat across from her. “I think you’ll find that I can be quite persuasive. I mean look around you, isn’t this such a nice place? Wouldn’t you love to live here?” 

Lily looked around the room and let out a heavy sigh. “I mean, it’s pretty nice here. There’s no little sculptures in the wall though. At the castle there are little flowers carved into the stones.” She leaned forward, saying all of this as though it was of the utmost importance. It felt important too. She had really enjoyed looking over the flowers on the stones.

“Yes, the castle is beautiful. But I can bring you real flowers if you would like that. Or have sculptures made.” 

“Flower sculptures? That sounds lovely. I don’t want real flowers. They belong in the garden.”

“You can cultivate any kind of garden you’d like here. We have people who could help you do that. Do you not think that staying here would be nice?” 

Lily blinked, trying to clear the fog. It did sound nice. She’d always wanted a large garden like the one her grandmother had grown at her country home. And if she stayed here, she’d always be in fairyland, that sounded quite nice too. “I-” She shook her head now and gripped the table. Something was still casting a shadow over the good reasons to stay here though. “I don’t know. I think I’d miss my family. And my friends.” 

“They could come and visit.” 

Why did her head feel like it was floating? Why did she feel like she wanted to smile again? She shouldn’t want to smile at him. She searched her brain for a thread she could hold onto, something that would help her come back down to the ground. “What did you and your friends do to Mary? Remus said you shouldn’t have gone to her wedding. He said it was rude.” 

He looked surprised that she would ask him such a question. “I only came to see you.” His voice was soft and quiet, but it made Lily uncomfortable. 

Lily looked at her teacup and wished that she’d never drank any of it. Would it upset Severus if she spilled the rest of the tea? “Why?” 

“I have coveted you since I first saw you.” 

“At the wedding?” 

“No,” Severus shook his head. “We were eleven. It was your first time in Fairyland. Your eyes were so wide, and you kept smiling at everything. Nothing seemed to frighten you. When I heard you were coming back to fairyland, I knew that it was the only chance I would have to make you mine.” 

“I’m not yours.” Lily shook her head again and stood up from the table. “Why does everyone keep saying I belong to someone? I’m my own person. I belong to myself!” 

“Yes,” Severus stood up as well, “Yes you do. I suppose saying that I wish to possess you was not the best way to word that. I should have said that I wished to bring you here to my home, to share my good fortune with you.” He seemed frustrated about something. “Doesn’t that sound nice? Staying here, with me? Staying in fairyland?” 

“I don’t know. I need a nap. And time to think about it.” She put a hand to her forehead, but no matter what she did, she still felt foggy and unable to think straight. 

Damn that tea. 

“Of course,” He didn’t sound happy. “Though I’m afraid that we don’t have much time. But rest, of course.” He motioned to the bed. “I will send Charity back in to help you change into something more comfortable.” 

Lily giggled again. “A mermaid let me borrow this. Isn’t magic wonderful?” 

Another tight-lipped smile and then Severus was gone. Lily felt much better when he left. She started humming and walked over to the window. She shouldn’t be here. Remus was probably worried about her. 

“Lily! Did you tell him that you would stay?” 

“No!” Lily said brightly. “But I told him I’d think about it!”

“That’s wonderful! I brought you a nightgown!”

“That’s wonderful too!” They both laughed. 

Lily woke up a few hours later with a headache. 

She rolled over and looked up at the canopy as she let out a big yawn. 

And then she remembered that she’d been kidnapped by a fae with a history of violence and abuse against women. 

She bolted upright for a second time. 

She’d drank fairy fruit tea. It had been like being drunk, or being high on laughing gas. Everything had felt like it was glowing and now she was having a hard time recalling the conversation she’d had with Severus before she’d decided that she wanted to take a nap and Charity helped her into an old fashioned nightgown. 

Lily stood up, glad that her head was clear now, and walked over to the door. She banged on it, but it stayed where it was, only shimmering whenever her hand touched it. 

She walked over to the window and leaned out it, looking down at the ground. It was too far of a drop. Even if it didn’t kill her, it would definitely break something. And the only place she would have to hide was the forest, and it was a miracle that she’d gotten out unscathed the last time. 

Or not a miracle. James had kept her safe last time. Who knew what would happen without his protection and with a dangerous fae looking for her. She leaned back in the room and she knew Severus was in the room again before she saw him. 

“Have you made a decision?” He asked as she turned around. He didn’t ask her what she’d been doing with her head out the window. 

“About what?” She asked, clenching her hands at her sides.

“Will you stay here?” 

She almost stomped her foot. “And if I say that I won’t, you’ll let me leave?” 

“You will say yes.” He said, and he thought he was speaking the truth, or he wouldn’t have been able to say that. 

“And why is that?” 

“Because you want to say ‘yes.’” He had his arms crossed over his chest. He thought that was the truth too.

She _wanted_ to punch him. And she was just about to tell him that when she realized that he was attempting to glamour her. She could feel a light buzzing sensation on the top of her skin that she had thought was just some side effect of the fruit. But he seemed so sure and it hadn’t been there before he’d started talking to her. 

“I want to say ‘yes?’” She asked, forcing herself to relax, to calm down. If he thought she was glamoured, then perhaps she wouldn’t have to stay locked in this room. Perhaps he’d let his guard down and she could find a way to escape. 

“You do. You know that you will be far happier here than anywhere else. You know that I can give you anything you could imagine. You want to stay here.” 

“I want to stay here.” She repeated back to him. She’d never been glamoured before, so she didn’t know what she was supposed to do exactly, but he didn’t seem suspicious. Perhaps he’d never done this incorrectly before. He seemed quite sure of himself. 

“Yes, and you will be happy.” 

“Like Charity!” She gave him a tight smile. 

He faltered for a moment and then nodded. “Yes, like Charity.”

“Charity and I can be friends and we can stay here with you and the cat!” 

“Charity is my servant,” Severus narrowed his brow. “You will have better friends than her, though the cat is a good companion.” 

He thought the cat was better than Charity. Maybe she should try and shove him out the window and then get away. It’d be hard for him to chase after her if it were _his_ legs that were broken. 

“Okay,” 

“So, you agree to stay here?” 

Lily almost said yes, but she wasn’t sure exactly how fae magic worked. It might have been a binding contract and she didn’t know what the consequences would be to her breaking it, or if she would be able to break it. So she continued being airy and a bit thick. “Do I?” 

He shook his head slightly and nodded. “I’d love for you to agree to stay here with me.” 

“And I’d love for you to agree to stay here with _me_!” She laughed and spun around so she could make a face without him seeing her. She spun back to him. “Are we going to have dinner together? I didn’t get to eat dinner last night, I think I fell asleep instead.” She looked down at his shoes and then smiled again, she felt like a puppet. “And then I woke up here!” 

“We will dine together.” He nodded. “And we will finish talking some things over.” 

“Good,” Lily nodded. “Do I get pretty new dresses to wear? Or do fairies where their night things to dinner?” She forced a laugh, hoping that he couldn’t tell it was fake. 

He couldn’t. “Of course, you will be given new dresses to wear. I do apologize that I do not know a mermaid who could help you dress though.” 

Lily waved a hand at him. “That’s quite alright. I like Charity. Unless the cat can dress me?” She looked at him for a moment and it was clear that he was debating whether or not she was actually stupid. “I’m just kidding!” She laughed. “Though I saw a deer in the forest, and it turned out to be a prince, so maybe the cat is actually a princess! Or an ogre? Are ogres real?” 

“I will send Charity back in to help you dress.”

“Thank you-” She clicked her tongue. “What do you wish for me to call you?” 

He blinked. “Severus. You may call me Severus.” 

When Charity came back into the room, Lily hit her over the head with a heavy book that she’d found, stealing the only idea she could think of, which happened to be from the first _Avengers_ movie. Cognitive recalibration. She didn’t know if it would work of course, but she had to try something. 

She heaved Charity up onto the bed, and then dressed herself. She was worried about how she would get out of the room, but apparently Severus had thought that she was glamoured enough to not need to lock the door. 

She took a deep breath, holding it while she stepped _through_ the door, and then started down the corridor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not know if I was going to get to post this today! Where I live, if it's raining, or the wind is blowing too hard, our internet goes out. And it's about to storm, it already stormed once today. I love storms and I hoping it cools things down here, but I was worried about posting this chapter! But we have internet for a minute so here we go!
> 
> I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

“I can’t believe that we found her!” 

Lily had finally found her way down to the dinning hall, but she’d stopped short just outside the doorway when she heard voices from within. Severus was not alone. 

“Are we really sure that it’s her?” This, like the first voice, was not Severus. Both voices were male, but this second voice was far more skeptical than the first. “The prophecy is very vague, as most of them are.”

Prophecy? That was real too? She needed to stop being surprised by the existence of more magic. Perhaps she should just assume that all magic was real until someone told her it wasn’t. Afterall, werewolves, mermaids and prophecy might be a lot to take in, but she’d learned about all of them in the last two days. Why should she be surprised anyway? When she was eleven she had learned that an entirely different and magical world existed just across the forest behind her house. She really shouldn’t be shocked by any new forms of magic or creature that she might learn about now.

Hold on, did he say there was a prophecy relating to _her_ in the fairy world? She didn’t remember them using her name, but who else could they be talking about? To her knowledge, they hadn’t kidnapped anyone else recently and tried to trick them into staying in this well maintained, but creepy manor. The house really looked nothing like she’d expected it to while she’d been up in her room trying to come up with ways to escape. Everything was too clean and well lit. No one was hiding here, and that meant that the men who had taken her were not worried about being caught.

Lily clenched the sides of her skirt and stepped closer to the doorway so she could hear better.

“It’s her.” Severus stated, his being the only voice that Lily could pick out. “And the mad witch said that whichever prince married her would rule with immeasurable power and strength.”

“The mad witch,” The second voice grumbled. “She is a very reliable source.” This was clearly sarcasm. Maybe prophecy wasn’t as cut and dry as she’d first assumed. Maybe not everyone believed in it.

The first voice ignored the comment and pressed on, “Yes, but you’re not the only prince of the Court of Death. What makes you think that you’re worthy to rule with all that extra power?”

“Well,” Severus snarled. “Because I got her here, and I glamoured her and she has agreed to stay here with me.” 

“She already agreed?” 

“It is not hard to get a glamoured mortal to do or say anything you want them to.” This was the grumbly second voice again. Lily wanted to peek around the corner and see if she could recognize either of the voices, but she didn’t want to chance getting caught eavesdropping. Glamoured mortals probably didn’t do that.

“So, it is a done deal.” Severus clapped his hands together. “We will hold the ceremony soon, and privately, but I want a big reveal to let everyone know. I want Potter to know.” 

“Yes, of course. We will start arranging everything.” The first voice again. There was scrapping of chairs and then she heard their footsteps leaving the room.

She decided that now was a good time to enter the room. “Good evening, Severus!” 

“Lily,” He stood from the table and smiled at her, glancing in the direction his guests had just left and then back at her. He looked her up and down, and Lily had to fight the urge to cross her arms over her chest and fold in on herself. He was looking because he thought she was going to bring him power and strength. “How beautiful you look!” And he thought she would look good next to him.

“Thank you, you chose the gown for me.” She swished the skirts and continued toward table, planning to sit at the opposite end from Severus. 

“Is it not to your liking?” 

“It’s very fine,” Lily shook her head and took a seat, pulling out her own chair before anyone could come forward and do it for her. “Though, yellow is my favorite color.”

“I can imagine that yellow would look divine on you.” 

Lily nodded. “It also makes me smile.” 

“And a lovely smile you have too.” 

She felt like she was little Red Riding Hood. She smiled at him anyway. 

The food was brought out rather quickly and much too much of it for only two people. Lily didn’t comment on that though, she only filled her plate with food that she thought looked safe and then smelled everything before she took a bite. 

“It is all safe for you to eat.” Severus promised. “Fairy food will not hurt you.” 

“That’s not true,” Lily shook her head. “I woke up with a very bad headache after I drank that tea this morning.” 

“Oh,” He had his brow narrowed. “I did not know that it could cause headaches in mortals.” He waved his hand at a servant near the door. Another glassy eyes mortal. “Bring Lily a tonic for her headache.” 

“Oh, no, it doesn’t hurt anymore,” Lily said, “I’m quite alright now.” 

“Good,” He looked over the food on the table. “Steer clear of the pudding and the muffins.” Lily tilted her head, confused. Perhaps this man really did not fancy himself the villain. He was, as he had kidnapped her and held her against her will, but he was taking care to keep her comfortable and happy. A glamour induced happy, but still, he must have felt that he was doing the right thing, the good thing.

Lily hated him a little more for it.

“Thank you.” This was said through clenched teeth and a false smile. “Is it possible that I’m allergic to the fruit?” 

“It is possibly,” He shrugged. She hated carrying on a conversation with him as though he was not a completely horrible and dreadful man. 

“You said that we needed to talk during dinner?” 

“Yes,” He nodded and stood up, starting down the table toward her. Lily tensed. “Yes, we do need to talk.” 

“About what?” 

“Well, if you are going to stay here, then we need to make things official and proper. Do you not agree?” 

“That seems like it would be the next logical step,” Lily said carefully, not wanting to accidentally agree to anything definitely. 

“Right,” He nodded. “Tomorrow seems like it would be the perfect day to get married.” 

Lily kept breathing. She knew that this was coming. She knew that he was going to bring up marriage. And he thought that she was glamoured, so why wouldn’t he bring it up so nonchalantly?

“Tomorrow?” She repeated. 

“Yes, tomorrow.” He reached out, slowly, and touched the tips of his fingers against her cheek. “You are very excited, are you not?” She blinked at him, fighting with herself to keep from pulling away from him. She felt her skin tingle again, uncomfortably, like she was wearing a coat of bees. “Since you love me, you are very excited to get married.” 

“And you’re alright with doing things this way?” Lily asked quietly. He was going to back her into a corner, get her to agree, and then whether she was glamoured or not, she would be magically bound to comply.

“Doing things what way?” He asked, his head tilting slightly and his fingertips still on her cheek. Her skill felt like it was burning under his touch.

She smiled up at him and stood up from the table, relieved when his hand fell from her face. “You’re alright with taking away my will, tricking me into thinking that I’m in love with you and forcing me to marry you? That's all okay with you?” Her temper was bubbling just under the surface and he could see it now. He knew she wasn’t glamoured, but she no longer cared.

Severus blinked at her.

Lily just stood there and stared at him. “You don’t feel at all slimy and gross about what you’re trying to do here?” She asked, just as calmly and quietly as before. 

“You’re not glamoured.” 

“No.” She shook her head. 

“How-”

“I don’t know.” She took a step back, putting the chair between him and herself. “But you can’t keep me here with your tricks-”

“You have already agreed to stay!” His voice got louder. 

“I did not,” Lily shook her head. “I was very careful about what I said to you, and I did not agree to stay. And I will not stay.” She threw her hands in the air, “They’re going to know that it was you that took me! Remus is going to know, and he’s going to come here with James, and they’ll find me.” 

The room seemed to get darker as he stepped around the chair. Lily wanted to stand her ground, but she knew it would stupid to pretend as though she was capable of holding her own against him. His glamour wasn’t working on her, but she knew that he had other magic that would work just fine. 

“How?” He asked, taking another step and she caved, taking a step back. “How are you not glamoured?” 

“I don’t know, but that really throws a wrench in your plans, doesn’t it?” 

“No mortal is immune.”

“Maybe it’s part of the prophecy I heard you talking about earlier.” Lily shrugged, looking around the room for an exit she could reach before he caught her.

He seemed distracted by her suggestion, so she turned on her heel and bolted toward the door. She hadn’t put on the heels that he’d sent up for her to change into, and her bare feet slapped against the flagstone floor. She was almost at the door when his hand closed around her arm and he yanked her backward, throwing her to the floor. 

She tumbled, tripping over her skirts and she tried and failed to find her footing. Her wrist bent awkwardly and she cried out as she fell.

“You can’t keep me here!” 

“I think you will find, that I can.” 

He tossed her back into the room and slammed the door as he left. 

She was pretty sure that her wrist was broken, and she scooted back until she was leaning against the bed and then pulled her up sleeve and looked it over. But then she got lightheaded and had to look away from the discoloration and extremely swollen flesh. 

“Lily?” 

She looked up and saw Charity peeking over the edge of the bed at her. “Charity? Are you alright? I’m sorry I hit you in the head, but I thought it might help.” 

“Are you alright?” She slid over the side of the bed and knelt next to her, pulling her wrist onto her lap. “What did he do to you?” 

“Did it work?” Lily asked quietly, noticing the lack of excitement in Charity’s voice, the fear that wasn’t there before. Something about her looked duller too, even though she was refusing to look Lily in the eye. 

“Did what work?” 

“Are you still glamoured?” 

Charity bit her lower lip and her chin started to quiver. 

“Oh, Charity,” Lily threw her good arm around Charity’s shoulders. “My friend is going to come here, we won’t be stuck here much longer.” 

“I’ve been here for years, Lily.” She said quietly. “What does my family think? I _drugged_ you!” She stood up and looked around the room. Lily stayed back and allowed the woman her space, fully aware that if Severus had successfully glamoured her, she would have been stuck here for years just like Charity.

“You didn’t do it. They forced you to.” Lily said quietly. Charity turned around and looked Lily over, her eyes honing in on Lily’s mangled wrist. 

“I’ll go and get something for your wrist.” 

“No,” She shook her head and took a step toward Charity, fear slamming into her chest. “What if he finds you and glamours you again? You should stay here.” 

Charity was nearly persuaded but then shook her head. “No, he’ll have no reason to think that I’m not glamoured. I’ll be quick.” And then she was on the other side of the door. Lily stood up and touched the door, just to check again, but it remained solid for her. 

It didn’t take Charity long to come back, but it was enough time for Lily to decide that she wasn’t going to wait for Remus or his friends to come and rescue her. Who knew how long that would take or what Snape would make her or Charity do in that time. Who knew if they would even be able to get to her. Severus might have her well-hidden enough that they could have their noses pressed against the door and they wouldn’t know she was there. 

She tied her bed sheets together, albeit not well since it hurt her wrist to pull them tight. But that is how she spent her time while Charity was fetching supplies. 

That wasn’t the only problem though. She only had two sheets to tie together, and that didn’t really do much to lessen the drop from her window. It would still be a thirty foot drop, and that was if she managed to tie the sheets to the window somehow, though there was nothing to tie it on. 

“I don’t think that’s going to work,” Charity said, setting down the supplies on the table and motioning Lily over to the empty chair. 

“I know!” Lily shook her head and sat down. “Why won’t the door let me out?” 

Charity shrugged. “I’m not sure how magic works. And I’ve never been able to ask.” She reached out and took Lily’s arm, looking over the injury. 

Lily bit the tip of her tongue. “What does it feel like? Being glamoured?” 

Charity was quiet as she started binding up Lily’s wrist with cloth. She let out a deep sigh, “You know when you’re dreaming, and you know what’s happening, but you’re not able to do anything about it? You just get to watch the dream you react to everything, even if it’s really terrible? It’s like that, only you don’t wake up.” 

Lily suppressed a shudder, trying not to think about how awful that would have been, had Snape been able to successfully glamour her. Who knows what he would have made her do, and to who? He’d made Charity aid his kidnapping of Lily, and drug her so that she’d be more pliable. 

“We have to get out of here.” Lily said under her breath. 

“I know.” Charity tied the cloth and Lily pulled her hand away to inspect the brace. 

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She tapped her fingers against the table. “I wish I knew how the door worked.” 

“There’s got to be another way. Secret passages maybe? This is an old building.” And then Lily was on her feet and she was pressing her hand against the walls as she moved around the room, feeling for hollow spots or abnormalities. 

Charity helped by checking the floor for any loose boards, she did find one, and under it they found a key, but that was more interesting than helpful as the key didn’t fit into the door. 

Soon it was dark. 

“I’m going to have to go soon,” Charity said. “If I don’t do my chores, then someone will report me to Snape and he’ll know something’s up.” 

Lily didn’t want her to go, she didn’t want to be alone here, but she understood that it was necessary, so she nodded. 

“Come back when you can.” 

“I will.” Charity promised. “These men- males, they were hoping to use you. If they can’t, I don’t know what their new plan will be.” Lily clenched her jaw. “I’m not going to leave you alone in this, Lily. I’m going to help you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave me a comment!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise double update!

Lily woke up a few hours later, having fallen asleep after exhausting herself trying to think of ways she could escape or ways to trick Severus into agreeing to let her leave. She heard voices in the hallway, loud and angry voices and she quickly jumped off her bed and looked around for somewhere to hide. 

Of course, there wasn’t really anywhere she could hide, there was only the window, the table she’d been drugged at, and the bed. 

She could hide under the bed, but that was always the first place that people looked.

“If she’s not here, then you have no reason to object to my searching the premises.” She knew that voice. She hadn’t heard this tone in years, but she recognized the voice and almost felt bad for whoever it was directed at. 

“Actually, I have plenty of reasons to object to you searching my home.” Severus shot back, and any sympathy she’d had vanished. “I have a right to privacy in my home, having you demand to search-”

“Severus.” James’ voice was getting closer. “Remus said that you were talking to Lily right before she disappeared.”

“Is it a crime to talk to wedding guests? What do you care what happens to some mortal anyway?” Severus tried a different argument. “You have never cared what happened to them before. What is so special about this girl?” 

Lily flinched, forced to remember that even the good side in fairyland, wasn’t actually good. James was here to help her, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t allowed Charity to remain trapped here, and other mortals like her that were glamoured to serve the fae. 

“I do not condone violence against those who can not fight back. Nor have I ever allowed for my people to-”

“Save the speech for someone else. You are breaking the law right now! 

“That is no way to talk to your prince!” 

She heard footsteps now, and ran to the door. They were in the hallway. “James!” She banged on the door. “James, I’m in here! Help!” 

“You are not my prince.” Severus continued on. They couldn’t hear her. 

“I  _ am _ your prince, though I understand that you do not like it. Just because you have a problem with me does not mean you are allowed to take  _ my _ guests while attending a party at my home. A party you had no business attending.” 

“I did not take her and she was not  _ your _ guest.” Severus sighed. “How do you know she did not just go home?” 

“Then you had someone else take her.” James said. “We tracked her to the forest a half mile from your estate, and then all traces of her disappeared.” 

“How dreadful. It sounds to me as though something from the woods might have got her.” 

“Sounds like… Might have… I am not stupid, Severus. If you were using any more qualifiers- Just tell me where she is and we can settle this peaceably.” 

“Peaceably? I think you had your chance at settling things peaceably. And then you forced your way into my home and accused me of kidnapping a random mortal girl.” 

“She is not random.” James’ voice was low and threatening. 

There was a pause, and Lily wished she could see through the door. 

“Look me in the eye and tell me that Lily Evans is not in this building.” 

Severus hesitated for only a moment, “I have already explained to you that I am not okay with you barging into my home and upturning my life because your half-breed, mortal adjacent friend lost the redhead. Get out of my house-”

“Tell me that she’s not here and I will leave.” 

Lily banged on the door again. She knew that Severus couldn’t lie, but she also knew that he wasn’t just going to admit that she was here. 

But they still couldn’t hear her. 

“She was here a few hours ago.” Severus said, which was true and misleading and Lily held her breath. Severus sighed loudly. “Malfoy and some of the other members of the Court of Death believe that she is the one the prophecy speaks of.” 

Lily banged on the door halfheartedly. 

“So you are telling me that Malfoy brought her here?” James asked. 

“I am not going to accuse him of anything. I have considered Lucius to be a friend of mine for a long time.” 

“Who else was here?” 

“Are you sure you want to stand in the corridor while we have this discussion?” He managed to spin just the right amount of bitter distaste into his tone to make it sound convincing, to make it sound as though he was being honest and giving James vital information. 

“I do not care where we are, so long as you continue to talk.” 

Lily kicked the door now, hearing their footsteps retreat. It did not achieve anything but sending a jolt of pain through her body. 

“What did you do that for?” 

Lily screamed as she turned around, finding Sirius and Peter looking at her from the otherside of the room. 

“What the fuck? How did the two of you get in here?” Lily asked, looking around the room. 

Peter shrugged and Sirius laughed. “We are here to rescue you, Red. Remus is worried sick and James is tired of playing nice with Lord Fuckwit, so come on. Back to the castle we go.” He waved his hand as he pushed a brick on the fireplace behind him, causing one fo the wooden pillars to shift forward, leaving a narrow gap that was just wide enough for them to squeeze through. 

Lily raised her brows and stared at the escape she never would have found. 

“We can’t leave yet,” Lily shook her head. “Charity is still here- I unglamoured her and I promised her that we’d get out together.” 

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Of course you did. Any other promises you need us to fulfill for you while we are at it? Where is she?” 

“She said that she had chores to do.” Lily shrugged. 

“I can find her.” Peter shrugged. “I will meet you in the forest in twenty minutes.” 

“If you are late, we will leave without you.” Sirius shrugged and then he reached out and pulled Lily toward the passage with him. She was still wearing the ridiculous dress that Severus had picked out for her, so she had to wiggle a bit to get through the opening, but it was a relief to be out of that room and nowhere near Severus. 

Of course, that relief was short lived. As soon as Peter disappeared and the beam was back in place behind them, Lily had to trust Sirius Black of all people to get her out of here safely. And she couldn’t help but feel as though they were going to get caught. 

“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Lily asked, holding onto his arm as he led her through the nearly pitch black passage. 

“Yes, Lily. I know where we are going.” He couldn’t lie, so that should have been more comforting, but then he followed it up by saying, “I am almost certain that I know where we are going. I have never been in these tunnels before today, but I was paying attention when Peter showed me the way.” 

“Why does Peter know-”

“That is none of your concern.” Lily tightened her grip on his arm unconsciously, letting her fear show. That was breaking her rules. “I apologize for interrupting you. I only meant to say that there is a lot going on in fairyland that you are not aware of. Snape almost got to Peter, but he did not. Though he might have allowed Snape to  _ think  _ that he got him.” 

Lily chewed on her lip. “How does Peter spy on Snape if he can’t lie to him?” 

Sirius laughed. “Very carefully.” 

They continued through the maze of tunnels in silence after that. It didn’t take them all that long to make it to the edge of the building. Soon Sirius was taking his arm back from her and shifting something on a wall that Lily couldn’t see. She hadn’t realized that he’d probably been able to see the entire time that they were in the passage, due to his advanced eyesight. 

There was the sound of stone grinding on stone and then light seeped in through the cracks. 

Then they were staring at the edge of the forest. 

Lily had been in the Forbidden Forest many times, but the forest always looked more intimidating when you were looking at it from the fairyland side. Maybe it was because it was impossible to forget what you might find in it’s shadows. Also this wasn’t the path that Remus had sworn up and down was safe for her to use. There were no enchantments keeping the monsters away from this section of the forest. This was where they lived. If she went in there, she was an intruder. 

“Are you sure we have to go in there?” 

Sirius shrugged. “There is nothing in there that I can not protect you from.” 

Again, how sure he was of himself did not make her more comfortable with what they were about to do. He took her by the arm and started leading her into the trees. 

She watched the ground, careful not to trip over any roots or step in any traps. But while she was watching her feet, one of the trees reached out and grabbed her by the arm that Sirius didn’t have, her injured arm. She was jerked back, but Sirius didn’t let go. Lily bit down hard on her tongue to keep from crying out in pain. 

He pulled a dagger from his belt and slashed at the branch. Lily managed to keep quiet and Sirius pretended as though he wasn’t even impressed. Lily was impressed with herself though and she gave him a weak thumbs up. He narrowed his eyes at her as though he didn’t know why she was doing that and then grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, making sure she stayed close this time. 

They stopped rather abruptly, and Lily ran into his back. “We wait here.” He said, nodding at a tree that didn’t look any different than any of the trees around them. Lily trusted him in this though, and so she leaned against the tree to catch her breath, cradling her arm against her chest. 

Sirius grabbed her good arm again and pulled her off the tree just in time for the trunk to open like a door. Peter and Charity slipped out and Lily had to bite down on her tongue to keep from screaming again. 

“Is he back yet?” Peter asked, looking around. 

“Any minute.” Sirius looked back toward the castle.

“Lily?” 

“Charity!” Lily rushed up to the girl and carefully threw her arms over her. “Are you alright?”

“I knew you were going to try and get out, but I didn’t think you’d work that fast!” The girl laughed. She was shaking though. 

“Lily did not really have much to do with it.” Sirius cut in. 

“I knew you would come for me though,” Lily grinned at him, but then she frowned. “I mean, I didn’t think  _ you  _ would come for me, but I knew that Remus wouldn’t leave me to rot. And James seems to like me well enough.”

“James does not like you well enough.  _ I _ like you well enough.” Sirius grinned, but there were points in his smile that made her question what he meant by that.

“Sure, you do.” Lily said quietly, glancing over at Peter and keeping a hand on Charity. 

“What year is it?” The girl asked, drawing Lily’s attention away from the fae. 

“What?” 

“In the mortal world, what year is it? I just realized that I have no idea how long I’ve been here. Not really.” 

Lily was afraid to tell her now. “It’s 2020.”

“Four years?” 

“Mortal world is fucked. You should not be sorry you missed it.” Sirius shrugged. But then he looked back at the manor and then at Charity. “We will make sure that you get home.” 

“Thank you.” Charity said quietly, looking down at the ground.

“Alright, I am ready to get out of here,” James’ voice came from a shadow and Lily was sure that she wasn’t going to get out of the forest without screaming and giving away their location. “We should assume that he already knows that she is gone.” He looked over Lily, his eyes curious. 

Lily looked away from his gaze. She tried to focus on how they were going to get back to the castle without Snape catching up with them. She tried not to think about how things would go down if he did catch up with them. 

She felt a hand on her arm and looked over to find James looking at her carefully. “Are you alright, Lily?” 

Lily blinked at him. “Yes.” Her voice squeaked. 

“How did you manage to leave?” He asked. 

“Sirius and Peter-”

“No,” James interrupted. “How are you not trapped in his manor right now?” 

Lily took a breath and squared her shoulders. She’d already decided to stop showing her fear when it came to these males. “I can’t be glamoured.” She shrugged, though she immediately felt as though she’d just divulged more than she should have.

James seemed to agree, because his eyes went wide and he looked around. Sirius and Peter, who had a gentle hold on Charity, were already leading the way through the forest. “I would keep that between us, if I were you.” James said. 

“Do you know why though?” Lily asked. “Why couldn’t he trap me there? He was going on about some prophecy, could that have something to do with it?” 

James didn’t look at her as he started after his friends, offering her his arm. She only hesitated for a moment before accepting it. “It might. If you are the one that the prophecy refers to.” 

“Do you think I am?” Her heart felt like it was lodged in her throat. 

“I have no way to know for sure. Prophecy has never been exact or literal. Your name could be stated clearly in the prophecy and there would still be a chance that it had nothing to do with you.” He glanced at her. “There was a prophecy about me when I was born, as there are prophecies about all princes when they are born. It stated that I would bring destruction and violence to the castle. That I would gut the nobility.”

“That sounds horrible.” Lily wondered if any part of the prophecy had come true yet, or if the reason that he’d changed so much had been to try and avoid the prophecy. 

“Yes, it did. And growing up knowing that no matter what you do, you are destined to destroy the castle and gut the nobility, well it does not incentivize you to play fairly or to try for any other sort of fate.” It had been the opposite of what Lily had thought, but it still made sense to her. He’d become the boy that everyone had expected him to be. 

“So what changed?” 

James smiled at her. “My understanding of the prophecy.” He shrugged. “Remus was cursed to be a werewolf, he could not set foot in the mortal world without bringing danger to those around him, he was shunned from his home, and so I took him in. I brought destruction and violence to the castle. I elevated Sirius and Peter to noble status, and in doing so, offended so many nobles that they either turned in their colors, or I took them from them. The nobility is a quarter the size it was the year I was born. It has been gutted.” 

Lily frowned. “So what does the prophecy say? The one that Snape thinks is about me?” 

“Pick up the pace, you two!” Peter called back at them. 

James looked at Lily for a long moment and then relented. 

“ _ The one with the power to vanquish the darkness approaches. Born to mortals on the other side of the forest, born as the first month dies, Death shall mark her as his equal, but she shall have power that Death knows not. One shall die at the hand of the other, for life is forever at odds with death. The one true queen of Fairyland approaches.”  _

Sheh hadn’t expected him to have the entire thing memorized. Not when he hadn’t even given her a single line from the prophecy that was about himself. “The one true queen?” Lily laughed. “Snape thinks that I’m the one true queen? That sounds like something out of a storybook.” 

James smiled at her, though he didn’t appear as though he thought there was anything amusing being said, only as if he couldn’t help but smile. He shook his head and schooled his features, his hair bouncing off his antlers. “I know it is a lot to take in,” He said, his voice taking on a softer lilt than she’d ever heard him use. “But there are a great number of people who are putting stock in this prophecy. There are parts of Fairyland that are dying. The earth is turning black. It is destroying people’s homes.” 

“So the black earth is the darkness?” 

“That’s what is being speculated.” James looked ahead of them and then back at her. “We can talk more at the castle. We will have to ride quickly to get there before Snape and his men do.” 

“He doesn’t own me. I never agreed to stay with him.” Lily looked over and saw that there were three horses waiting in a clearing. 

“I know that, that is why we were able to get you out so quickly. However, he does not know that Peter has such intimate knowledge of his home, or that he would use it to help me. I am also not supposed to break into people’s homes and accuse them of kidnapping. Even if it turns out I was right.” He winked at her and then reached out toward one of the horses. “You will ride with me. Sirius,” He looked at his friend. “Ride out ahead and make sure the trail is clear.” 

He looked at Peter and Charity as he climbed onto his horse and then offered Lily his hand. “How did you break the magic that bound her?” 

Lily took his hand and bit her lip. Once she was snug against him on the back of the saddle, much closer to him than she’d ever been to any fae, she answered. “I hit her really hard on the head.” 

He chuckled. “Really? That worked?” 

“Yes.” She nodded. “I stole the idea from a movie.” 

“I watched a movie with Remus, once.” James laughed again. “Brilliant. Alright, let us get you back to the castle where you will be safe. Remus is rather worried about you.” 

Lily nodded and tried to decide where she was supposed to put her hands. She had to hold on, but did she wrap them around his waist, hold onto his shoulders, try and hold the saddle? What was the right thing to do here?

She bit her lip and then quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, not letting herself contemplate the problem for any longer. 

After her arms were there, James tensed and Lily was sure that she’d done the wrong thing. Before she could apologize and tear her arms off him, he placed a gentle hand atop where her’s were laced together. She flinched at the pressure on her wrist and he slid his hand over to her good arm. 

His hand was warm, but his touch sent a chill up her spine. “I was worried about you too.” He said quietly. “I am very glad that you are okay. We will get your wrist fixed as soon as we get back to the castle. We have the best medics.” 

Lily bit down harder on her lip. The fairy world had definitely been a lot easier when she was a kid and Remus never left her side. “Thank you for coming to get me.”

“I told you that I would keep you safe.” James removed his hand from her hands and took hold of the reins again. “I would never go back on my word.” 


	6. Chapter 6

Riding horses through the forest was slow work. Lily wasn’t used to riding on a horse, and every time they horse went to hop or jump over a log, her wrist would twinge as it bounced against James’ chest. She was starting to think that it was actually broken. 

They all stayed rather quiet as well. Eventually, Sirius rejoined them and gave them the all clear, but he didn’t stick around long. Soon he was headed in the opposite direction to see if he could find Snape’s party behind them.

Eventually, they cleared the forest and reached a large grassy plain. When Sirius rejoined them, saying that they were well ahead of Snapes party, they rode out into the field, the horses running fast now that they didn’t have to worry about tripping over roots or fallen logs.

Lily tried to hold James more tightly with her good arm, but it didn’t stop her wrist from hurting. She tucked the arm between her chest and his back and then closed her eyes, willing this leg of the journey to be over quickly. 

“Not much longer now,” She heard James say over the pounding of horse feet and the wind whipping past her ears. “We’re almost there.” 

She told herself that the tears falling down her cheeks had been caused by the wind, but she could also feel her heart beating in her wrist. Heat was pouring off the injury and she couldn’t move it at all anymore. 

When the castle finally came into view, James called out for everyone to slow down. Lily took a shuttering breath and rested her forehead against his back. 

“Is it better when we ride slower?” He asked. “We are safe to do so now.” 

Lily looked around at the others and then glanced up at James, though he was still looking ahead of him. “It’s much better when we go slower.” She’d planned to tell him that she was fine, that they should just get there as quickly as possible, but then the truth slipped out. 

“Then we will go slower.” He looked over at Sirius. “Lily’s wrist is broken. We will travel at this speed now. I want you to circle back and see if they are still following us.” 

“I tried to wrap it the best I could,” Charity started to apologize.

“Don’t worry, Charity.” Lily gave her a smile, as genuine a smile as she could muster up. “I’ll be right as rain soon.” 

“I do not think Snape is dim enough to follow us to the castle.” Sirius said. “But I do believe that Rookwood and Rosier would be dumb enough.” And then he was headed away from the castle. 

They continued at their leisurely pace in silence for a good ten minutes before Lily couldn’t stand all the thoughts clouding her brain any longer. She needed to start speaking to get her brain to quiet down. “I’ve never ridden on a horse before.” She said, looking at Peter’s animal as she said it. “It’s much more work than I would have thought.” 

“Yes,” James nodded. “Don’t be surprised if your legs are sore tomorrow.” 

“When did you learn to ride?” 

“I think I have always known how.” He shrugged. “Which is to say, I have been on horses my entire life. I do not remember learning to ride one any more than I remember learning to walk.” 

“James?” 

“Yes?” 

“My wrist really hurts.” 

“I know.” He reached up and mused his hair. “We will be back very soon.” 

“James?” 

“Yes?” He sounded weary. 

“Am I in danger?” 

This question couldn’t help. This wasn’t the question that she should be asking. She should ask what they were going to eat when she got back. She was quickly realizing that she hadn’t had more than a few bites to eat in the last couple of days and her stomach was empty and hollow.

She should ask how long she was allowed to sleep before people would start to talk, because she was bone tired. 

She should ask him why his hair looked like it was shining in the sunlight. 

“I am afraid that you might be.” He said quietly, sounding as though it was the last thing in the world that he wanted to say to her. But he couldn’t lie. 

“Me too.” She bit her lip. “Going home won’t help, will it? It’ll just put my family and friends in danger.” 

He was quiet for a long moment. “If you want to go home, then I will make sure that you are able to go home. This is not your fight, this is not your home, you owe us nothing.” 

Lily mulled that over for a moment, wondering what James making sure she was able to go home would look like. Armed guards at her door? Or lining the forest? Protection spells? She couldn’t really fathom it. Everything about this place surprised her at every turn. Every time she looked, she found a new form of magic that she hadn’t been aware of before. Maybe it would be easy to protect her in the mortal world, but the weight in his voice made her think not. 

“I don’t know what I want,” She let her forehead rest against his shoulder. “I’m so tired.” 

“You will rest when we get back to the castle. For as long as you need. Is there anyone we should send a message to back in the mortal world?” 

“My mum,” Lily said. “I told her that I was only going to be gone for a couple of days. She’s probably getting worried about me.” She hadn’t had the chance to check her phone since before the wedding, and it was probably dead by now.

James nodded, his hair tickling her forehead. “I will make sure that it is taken care of.” 

The castle slowly got larger and larger until they were riding through the stone gate. A few stable hands appeared and helped Lily and Charity off the horses before James and Peter dismounted. James gave instructions for riders to go back and find Sirius and to help him look for trouble, and then he offered Lily his arm and they started toward the castle. 

Lily didn’t remember the garden from when she first came through this way, but she’d been so enchanted with the castle and the color of the sky that she probably hadn’t glanced at where her feet had been walking. 

There were flowers everywhere. Bright blue hydrangeas, soft pink mums, yellow and orange tulips and blood red roses. Lily couldn’t take her eyes off the flowers, and she must have led her and James toward the flowers, because they were no longer in the center of the path when Lily’s skirts got caught on the rose thorns. 

It would have tripped her up had James not been holding her good arm. He looked down and then smiled at her. “I think the flowers like you.” 

Lily snorted. “Oh? Did they jump out and grab me?” Though even as she made the joke, she was fully aware that they might have done just that. 

“No, I believe you just got to close. These flowers aren’t sentient.” He started to lean down at the same time Lily did, though she realized she was about to try and use her injured hand to unstick herself and stood back up. James pulled her skirts free from the bush and then frowned as he stood back up, taking a step away from the plant, and in doing so, forcing Lily to take a step back as well. 

“What is it?” She asked, looking at the bush, wondering what could be causing him to look at a rose bush like that. 

“Those were not there a moment ago.” He said, nodding at the ground. 

Lily looked again, and saw what he’d noticed. A small plant had grown just where Lily was standing. What was even stranger, was that it appeared to be growing as they looked at it. 

Soon, the plant flowered and a pink lily opened. 

Lily bit down on her tongue. “What does that mean?” 

James looked down at her skirts for a moment. “Did you get scratched by the thorns?” He asked, his tone forcing Lily to lean over and pull up her skirt, looking at her shin and calf. 

There was a small scratch. “What does that mean?” She repeated. 

James looked between the lily and her leg for a moment without saying anything. Lily stood up and swatted his arm with her good hand. Hitting the fairy prince was probably at the top of the list of things that she wasn’t supposed to do, but she didn’t care at the moment. 

“I don’t know.” He said. 

“Did I do that somehow?” 

“Yes.” He nodded, nodding at another small plant that had begun sprouting next to her. 

It was her blood causing it. 

It should have been such a ridiculous notion, but as soon as she thought it, she was hit with a memory from when she was ten. 

Her and Remus playing near the pond at the fairyland side of the forest, and she’d fallen and scrapped her knee. She’d run to get bandages from her backpack, and when she’d come back to where she’d fallen, where she’d left her shoes, there was now a patch of bright pink lilies. She’d thought it was just marvelous at the time, and now, looking at the flowers, her blood ran cold. 

“Come on, let me get you to the doctor.” James said, his hand back on her arm and he led her away from the flowers. 

“Can the doctor fix this?” Lily laughed humorlessly. 

He didn’t answer her, but he trailed his hand down to hers and then brushed his thumb over her wrist. “We will figure this out.” 

Lily’s wrist was taken care of rather quickly, and James even had them look at the scratch on her leg. And then she was given a tonic for the pain, which made her pass out almost immediately. She would have been worried, but James was with her the whole time and she saw Remus run into the room right before her eyes fell closed. 

They were still heavy when she woke up hours later, and Remus and James were still in the room. So were Sirius and Peter now and they were all sitting at a table, which was covered in books and papers. 

James and Remus were whispering back and forth. Lily strained to hear them, but couldn’t make out more than a few words that gave her no insight into what they were talking about. She debated going back to sleep, but now she was too curious about what they were doing.

It should have been weird to find them there after waking up, but it was comforting somehow. They hadn’t assumed she was safe and left her alone. They were going to make it impossible for Snape to show up and grab her again, or for him to have his people grab her again. 

“She’s awake,” Peter said, waving awkwardly at her as she slowly sat up. 

Remus jumped from his chair, dropping his book onto the table and rushing over to her. 

“Are you alright? How are you feeling?” He asked, his eyes looking all over her face and then down to her wrist. 

“I’m fine,” She said, pushing herself into a sitting position even though her limbs felt heavy and she wasn’t certain that she wanted to sit up yet. 

“Don’t lie to me.” Remus chided, kneeling beside her and picking up her wrist. “You look like shit.” 

Lily snorted and she heard a chair scrape against the floor before she saw James walking toward them. “That is no way to talk to her right now.” James chided. 

“Remus has always been super talented at comforting people.” Lily shrugged, pulling her hand away from Remus and looking over it herself. It looked perfectly normal of course, the magic that the healer had used had mostly worked before she passed out. It was remarkable, even if it wasn’t really remarkable _here_. 

“I have plenty of other talents to make up for this _one_ misgiving of mine,” Remus smiled at her, his tone playfully annoyed, but his eyes bright. She’d worried him. The baser part of her brain thought, ‘good, how does he like it.’ But she shook her head and pushed those thoughts away. They weren’t nice thoughts and she didn’t like to think about him pacing around his room waiting for James and the others to bring her back.

“Yes, yes, how about we use some of those talents then.” James pulled Remus up by his arm and shoved him back toward the table. “Keep reading. You are good at that.” 

Remus sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, looking like he felt a lot lighter now that she was awake. “I’ve tried to get him to use contractions, but he refuses. Sirius and Peter aren’t much better, but they’ll slip up every now and then.” Remus did go back to the table though and James glared after him. 

Lily looked down at her hand. “It sort of makes it feel as though it might not have happened.” She ran her thumb over her pulse point. “Where is Charity?”

“She is resting in another room. Though she will not be staying long. She wants to go home.” 

Lily nodded. “I’d want to go home if I were her too.” 

James looked at the table where his friends sat and then back at Lily. “I trust these three males with my life, but I understand if you only trust one of them.” He started, causing Lily to narrow her brow. His hazel eyes were glimmering with something that looked near nervousness. “I think we should tell them what you told me early. About Snape being unable to glamour you. And also what happened when your blood touched the ground.”

Lily looked over at Peter and Sirius, wondering how they couldn’t hear what James had just said. He seemed to realize her confusion and showed a small charm bag in his hand. “No one can hear me unless I am standing near them.” 

“Neat trick,” She reached out and ran her finger over the animal skin bag. She remembered seeing charms at Remus’s house when they were kids. “If you think we should tell them, then I agree.” Lily shrugged. “I want to tell Remus anyway, and Sirius and Peter did save my life. Do you think they’ll have answers?” 

James shook his head. “No, I think that they can help us find answers though.” He smiled at her. “I also don’t like keeping things from them.” 

Lily laughed and looked at the group of boys again. Sometimes they all just seemed so normal. None of them appeared to be able to hear her either. “Alright, let’s go see what we can find out.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are the greatest! Let me know what you are thinking!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Okay, so we're having a double update this weekend since someone asked for one on Tumblr and sometimes I'm a push over. This is the first update, I'm going to go and finish editing the second update, and then you'll have two nice and shinny new chapters to read!

Lily took a seat at the table and told the boys what had happened to her while she’d been at Snape’s manor. James sat quietly and listened since he hadn’t heard most of the story either, only the really interesting bits, like how he hadn’t been able to glamour her, and how she’d broken her wrist. 

When she told them when she realized he was trying and failing to glamour her, Sirius laughed loudly and slapped the table, startling both Lily and Peter. 

“I knew he was a crackpot!” Sirius hollered. 

Remus had a different reaction altogether. “Of course he couldn’t glamour you.” 

Lily cocked her head at Remus. James’ gaze zeroed in on him as well. Remus looked around the table and when he spoke, he was looking at James. “You all had a very twisted sense of humor, and even if you never did anything to her, that doesn’t mean that no one would ever try to hurt her for a laugh. I wasn’t going to bring a mortal to fairyland and not protect her.” He shrugged and then looked at Lily. “My mum made a charm for you. It was the only way she’d allow you to come with me. It’s not the traditional kind, since it’s permanent. She disguised it as a freckle on your left knee.” 

Lily immediately pulled up the nightgown she’d been given and looked at her left knee. She didn’t have a lot of freckles on her face, but they were all over her arms and legs. And there were at least five prominent freckles on her left knee. 

“How did you do that without me knowing?” She asked, not sure what she was looking at, would the charm freckle look any different? If so then it wouldn’t be a very good disguise. Which one of them wasn’t real? She ran her fingers over her knee, but then glared back up at Remus, “Why wouldn’t you tell me?” 

Remus rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I couldn’t tell you because I couldn’t risk you telling someone else. And it’s easy to do magic on mortals, you know that.” That made her uncomfortable of course, as Remus accidentally did when speaking nonchalantly about these kinds of things. 

“You did magic on me without my permission?” 

“Well, I didn’t, since I don’t have any magic. But my mum only did it to keep you safe. I was twelve at the time, Lily, I wouldn’t do it like that now. But my mum said that if I wanted to take you to fairyland, then I had to make sure you were protected. A charm to keep you from being glamoured was the easiest way to do that, other than never leaving your side.” Then he shook his head. “Though I broke that last rule, and then you were kidnapped.” 

Lily wasn’t really upset about the fact that he’d charmed her so that she couldn’t be glamoured. And twelve year old Lily might have told all kinds of people about the charm had she known, so she understood why he didn’t tell her too, but the fact that she’d been charmed for the last decade without knowing it, the fact that she’d spent time worry about being glamoured when she didn’t have to, well that was kind of rubbing her the wrong way. 

“Well, what other charm did you put on me then? Why do flowers grow when my blood touches the ground?” 

Remus’ face froze mid reaction, like it did when he was really surprised by something. 

“Your blood does what?” Peter squeaked, looking back and forth between Lily and Remus, waiting for the latter to give some sort of explanation. 

“I got cut on a rose bush earlier and when my blood hit the ground, flowers started sprouting. It happened when we were kids too, Remus. Remember that time at the pond? I scraped my knee? I didn’t put it together back then, just thought flowers sprouted wherever and however quickly they want in fairyland.” She rambled slightly, as Remus’s face was still frozen and when she chanced a glance at Sirius, he was giving a very significant look to James. 

“It _is_ her then.” Sirius said quietly. 

“We do not know that.” James said just as quietly. 

“It seems pretty clear.” Peter said, leaning forward so his elbows were on the table. He tilted his head and looked at James. “She can heal the land.” 

“We definitely do not know _that_.” James said more forcefully. Lily looked around at all of them. 

“Snape took me because he thinks I fit the prophecy too. He was trying to force me to marry him.” Judging by the look on their faces, she hadn’t divulged that information yet. 

“He was doing what?” Remus asked. 

“Don’t make me repeat it. I thought it was a joke when Charity first told me, but she seemed thrilled about it- this was before I knocked her over the head of course. And then I overheard him talking to some other people about it, though they seemed to be talking about a different prophecy. He said that whichever- is he a prince?” She tilted her head. James blinked, having been hanging on her words until she interrupted herself. 

Peter answered her. “He thinks he is. The Court of Death has four princes. Severus is one of them. You heard him say that he wanted to marry you for your power, didn’t you?” 

“I don’t have power, and no. I heard him say that whichever prince marries me will ‘rule with immeasurable power.’” She looked back at James. “But that wasn’t part of the prophecy that you told me. Right?” 

He ran a hand through his hair and then ran his finger up one of his antlers. “No, no, that is not part of the prophecy I told you about.” 

“But there have been countless prophecies made about the arrival of the true queen. So he could be talking about one of those.” Sirius shrugged. “Or he might have talked to a prophet who did not report their prophecy.” 

“Do people have to report-”

“No,” Peter shrugged. “But it is encouraged. Most people do because the crown gives you coin.” 

“Doesn’t that encourage false prophecies?” 

Remus nudged her knee with his. “They can’t lie.” 

“Right.” Lily nodded. “But you can willfully mislead people, and prophecies are more vague than assertions of truth, right?” 

“It’s not really an issue.” Remus shrugged. “There aren’t that many prophets.” 

“Okay, so there could be a secret prophecy?” Lily felt like her head was spinning. She’d been through too much in too short a time. She hadn’t even known about prophecies until the other day. 

“Maybe,” Sirius shrugged. “The real issue is that Snape thinks there is some reason that marrying you will give him more power. And of course, that your blood causes things to grow and could potentially stop the spread of the darkness.” 

“Potentially.” James emphasized. 

They were all quiet for a moment. 

“Well, we should test it then, yes?” Lily asked. “It’s the fastest way to find out what our next step should be.” 

“You do not owe us anything, Lily.” James stood and put his palms flat on the table. “You have a life outside of fairyland-”

“Our world is dying, James.” Sirius interrupted. “If she can help, we should accept that help.” 

“Except, we wouldn’t only be accepting her help.” Remus had his arms crossed over his chest. “If her blood heals the land, then she would be…” He took a deep breath and looked Lily in the eye. “She would be the queen of fairyland. The true queen.” 

“Yes,” Sirius nodded. “You think she would hate being trapped here like you?” 

Remus narrowed his gaze at Sirius and Lily almost kicked Sirius in the shin. But then changed her mind, “No one likes being forced to stay somewhere through the actions of other people.” 

“That sounded like something a queen would say,” Peter said quietly. Remus elbowed him. 

“Would I have to stay here?” Lily asked, looking at James since he probably knew best. “If I tried to help and I could, would I have to stay?” 

“Could you walk away from that?” He asked instead of giving her an answer. “If you found out that you could save this place, could you walk away from that?” 

Lily chewed her lip. “I don’t know. I’ve never had to think about something like that before.” She’d always loved it here in fairyland, and not being able to visit for the last few years had been very hard, and not only because she had missed Remus. She had always felt like a part of her woke up when she walked through the Forbidden forest. 

Colors were brighter, sounds were more melodic, food tasted better, everything felt _more_. There was a part of her that was only alive when she was in fairyland, and every time she went back to the mortal world, it was like she was wearing grey lenses for days, weeks even. It took so long to forget how bright the color blue was in fairyland. It took so long to forget how the sun had felt on her face as she lay in the soft, vibrant green grass next to the lake. Nothing in the mortal land had even been able to compare.

She had always thought that all mortals experienced that after being around magic, but maybe they didn’t. Maybe there was a different reason that her blood, her _being_ sang when she left the mortal world. 

Maybe this prophecy wasn’t as far out of left field as she had originally thought.

“Well, if we find out that your blood can reverse the darkness-”

“It might not be her blood,” James interrupted. “We are not going to bleed her onto the earth in hopes that it fixes everything.” Lily didn’t know if he’d phrased it like that in order to frighten her, but a chill ran up her back and she clenched her fists. She looked toward Sirius with wide eyes, trying to decide if that had been what he meant or not. Sirius reached out and patted her hand, and there was no part of Lily that felt as though she should pull her hand away. 

“Of course not,” Sirius went on, and he almost smiled at her. “But we are not going to do nothing. We have her here and she is willing to help, so we are going to accept that help.” 

“I do want to help, if I can.” Lily said, looking between all four of them. Peter looked the most excited about this, and Lily couldn’t decide if James or Remus looked the most upset. “Of course I want to help!” She said, narrowing her brow at the both of them. 

“It’s dangerous, Lily.” Remus said quietly, wringing his hands as he looked away from her. “And you’re mortal. You’re a lot more fragile that we are.” Lily kicked him under the table. “Ow!”

“Seems like you’re pretty fragile.” Sirius snorted and then cleared his throat.

“Remus is right,” James said. “We will have to be extra careful.” He wasn’t saying no. He wasn’t telling her that she shouldn’t do it. 

“You already promised to keep me safe.” Lily sat up straighter. 

“Yes, and at the time, I did not know that you would make that difficult for me.” James fell back onto his chair, causing two of the legs to leave the ground for a moment and then crash back against the stone floor. 

“Oh please,” Sirius clapped him on the back. “You always get bored without a challenge anyway.” 

“Lily’s life is not a game, Sirius.” Remus sighed and then looked back at Lily, “And you understand that you don’t have to-”

“Yes,” Lily nodded. “You and James have made that abundantly clear.” Her stomach chose this moment to growl angrily and Lily crossed her arms over it, as though that might muffle the sound. “I guess I’m hungry now.” She said. 

“I will escort you to the kitchens.” James stood up quickly. “The rest of you keep looking for answers.” 

“We already found the answer,” Sirius said under his breath. James acted as though he didn’t hear him, and Remus shook his head. Peter just smile and started flipping through his book again. 

Lily stood and followed James into the corridor. Was it weird that he was showing her to the kitchen instead of someone else? Was this just considered polite? Technically this is his house, and she was his guest, but it didn’t feel like it was just polite. 

She glanced over at him, her brow slightly drawn. For the first time since she’d stepped foot in the castle, she was distracted from inspecting the stone artwork and stained glass that made up the castle. 

James’ face was inscrutable. 

“What are you thinking?” Lily asked before she could decide whether or not she should be asking him that.

He glanced over at her with a small grin. “I am thinking about how lucky we are that Remus and his mother charmed you. Deals made with fae, whether you have been glamoured or not, are hard to get out of.” His eyes traced over her face before he looked away. 

Lily felt her face heat up, though there was no real reason for it to do so. 

She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, I suppose I am very lucky.” 

“We would have gotten you out of there no matter what, but the charm made it much simpler. Are you upset that he charmed you?” 

Lily shook her head. “I think it was responsible of him. If he was going to take me here, where many fae think it’s funny to glamour mortals into doing stupid or dangerous shit against their will. I would have liked to know of course, but he’s right. I probably would have told someone when I was younger.” 

“Were you not good at keeping secrets?” 

Lily snorted. “No. Do you know how many times I told my mum about this place? I mean she thought I was just making it all up, but still. By the time I was sixteen, she was starting to get worried about me because I wouldn’t stop telling her what the _real_ color blue _felt_ like.” She shook her head. 

“You feel colors?” 

“That is a thing, but no. I was trying to explain to her how things here are brighter and… _more_. Every time I went back to the mortal world, I felt kind of hungover.” She looked out the window, taking in the great blue of the sky and letting the nostalgia wash over her. Her scraped knees and twin braids as she told her mom that the sky in the mortal world looked grey in comparison. “I think it’s going to be really bad when I go home this time. This is the longest I’ve ever been in fairyland, and while it’s not all been fantastic,” She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at him. “I did find out that mermaids exist and get to stay in the castle.” 

“Huh.” James said quietly, looking down the corridor. 

“Sorry,” Lily crossed her arms. “I didn’t mean to ramble on.” 

“No,” He shook his head and smiled at her. “No, please do not apologize. I was just wondering if that is how all mortals feel when they get back to the mortal world.” 

“Most mortals don’t have a positive experience here.” Lily shrugged. “It might not be a universal thing.” 

“I am glad that you like it here enough to miss it when you are gone.” James reached over and touched her shoulder lightly. Lily watched his fingers, long and lean, trail down her arm before his hand went back behind his back. Her cheeks felt warm again. “Yet, I feel the need to tell you one last time, that if you are only agreeing to help because your life is in danger, it is not necessary. Snape dragged you into this mess and he had no right to do that, your life is your own to spend how you see fit. I will protect you if you wish to go home now.” 

Lily stopped walking and looked at him. “You don’t think the prophecy is about me?” 

James sighed and turned to face her. “It does not matter what I think. That is what I was trying to tell you earlier. This prophecy is about you, only if you believe that it is. If you do not, then it is not about you.” 

“What about my blood and the flowers?” 

James shrugged a shoulder, “It is not normal of course, but it is also not unheard of. Blood magic is actually pretty common.” 

“Not among mortals.” Lily pointed out. 

James mimicked her posture and crossed his arms over his chest. “So, you believe in the prophecy? You believe that it is about you?” 

Lily bit the tip of her tongue and shrugged. “I don’t know what I believe, but I know that a lot of other people think that it’s about me and I think it’s a little silly to act as though their opinion isn’t going to affect the way that things play out.”

“Of course- I know that-” He racked a hand through his hair and turned away from her for a minute. “You do not have to stay here.” 

“I know that. I know that I can run if I want to, but I don’t want to. This place has always meant a lot to me, and I know that you don’t think that I have a right to-”

“Excuse me,” James interrupted. 

“Well you’re the prince, right? So, you think that it’s your job to fix things and so who am I to come in and step on your toes? I understand-”

“No, you do not.” James turned back to her. “My job as the high prince of this land is to make sure that the people who can solve problems are given the tools to do so. I do not always know how to solve the problems plaguing my citizens, and if I do not help the people who can solve the problem, then I become a new and more dangerous problem. My issue does not lie with thinking that you do not have a right to be here or to help.” He had stepped closer to her at some point and they were only a few inches apart now, his hazel eyes that had always reminded her of the forest during autumn, now blazing. The gold flakes shown through brightly, like little pricks of starlight. Like his magic might be glowing from within. 

“My priority will always be protecting those that I have been charged protecting. And I made you a promise when you came here a few days ago. I promised you that I would keep you safe. Taking you back to the mortal world would be the easiest way for me to keep my word, and I am incapable of breaking my word, so perhaps that is where my bias comes from. But I am not some petty puppet prince who would deny my people assistance because of my ego.” It wasn’t just power shining in his eyes but hurt as well. 

Apparently, he had feelings that she was capable of hurting. 

“I’m sorry.” She said quietly, wondering if maybe she should take a step away from him. Or if maybe she should put a hand on his arm. “I only meant that I don’t want to come in and act like I know how to fix everything. I haven’t been here in over five years, and even when I did come here, it wasn’t very often. This is your home, I want to help, but I don’t want to overstep.” 

James pressed his lips together. “No one is suggesting that you are overstepping.” 

“Understood,” Lily nodded. “But you did recite the entire prophecy to me. I’m just trying to make it clear that I’m not- I mean, I’m trying to say that you are-”

“You are referring to the line in the prophecy that speaks of the true queen?” The corner of his mouth quirked up for some reason and Lily looked away with a huff. 

“Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.” She started walking down the corridor again. 

James, still smiling, jogged to catch up and then clasped his hands behind his back. “I do not think I would mind sharing the burden with you, should the prophecy turn out to be about you.” 

Lily bit down on her tongue and glanced over at him. He seemed to mean what he was saying. She didn’t see any mischief in his eyes where there should definitely be some, his words were plain with little room for deception. “Really?” 

He raised his brow slightly when he looked at her. “I cannot lie, Lily.” 

“I know. Everyone else would mind.” 

“I do not care what everyone else would think.” 

Lily felt like she had stepped back into the fog. “It’s a mute point. I’m a mortal and I’m going to go back home when this is over.” It didn’t feel like the truth though, it only felt like it was what she should say.

James’ smile dampened. “Of course.” 


	8. Chapter 8

They insisted that Lily rested for the remainder of the day, so it wasn’t until the following day that they set out to the dead land. 

Lily had her own horse this time, though she preferred riding with James. Riding on a horse by herself was intimidating and she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with the reins or with her feet. Luckily, her horse just followed the others, as James had assured her many times that it would. 

She might have liked riding with James for other reasons as well. 

She tried to remind herself, reasonably, that she liked the attention he was giving her, not because she fancied him, but because he was literally a fairy prince. Anyone would like attention from an actual fairy prince. 

And she also told herself that he was simply flattering her with all the smiles and pretty words. 

He wouldn’t mind sharing the burden with her. 

_Ha._

She realized that she’d been staring at the back of his head while she tried to convince herself that she didn’t have feelings for him, and looked away to find Remus smirking at her. She clicked her tongue and flipped him off, discreetly. He just laughed. 

“What is funny?” Peter asked, causing James and Sirius to look back at them. 

“Nothing.” Remus shook his head. “How much further?” 

“The ability to lie is wasted on you,” Sirius scoffed and looked over at Lily. “Are you going to do a better job?” 

“Remus was giving me a look, so I flipped him off.” She shrugged. “I don’t know why he thought it was funny.” She narrowed her eyes at Remus and then looked back at Sirius. 

“This, right?” Sirius said, putting up his middle finger. “Why do mortals take offence to this?” 

“Because when you do it, it’s meant to be offensive.” Lily had no idea how the hand gesture started. “Is there something you can do to another fae that is offensive just in the movement?” 

Sirius scrunched his brow. “I do not think so. If we mean to offend someone, we will do much more than show them one of our fingers.” 

“Yes, I remember.” Lily’s smile was tight. 

Sirius laughed, but James was frowning. “We frightened Lily when we were younger.” He said, shaking his head to tell Sirius to stop laughing.

Sirius took a deep breath through his nose, clearly annoyed with James for being soft. “I suppose I can understand why she was frightened of us. We were not very well behaved.” 

“The number of times my mum threatened to kick me out of the house,” Peter said with a nostalgic sigh. “Da of course had to remind her that this the way of fae children. Terror, trouble and-”

“A lack of basic empathy.” Lily interrupted. “Don’t romanticize it.” 

“We had fun, red.” Sirius shrugged. “It might have been frightening for you, but it is just how things are here.” 

“That is a terrible argument.” Lily shook her head. “‘Oh, we only try and kill one another while we’re young for good fun! It’s the way things have always been!’” She mocked, tilting her head back and forth. 

“You don’t seem like you’re afraid of them anymore,” Remus smirked. 

She opened her mouth, ready to tell them that she had nothing to fear since James had promised to keep her safe, but then she closed her mouth and looked at him. He’d been awfully quiet. He was looking at her thoughtfully, a small smile on his lips that grew when he noticed her looking back at him. “No, I suppose I’m not.” 

“The thought of being the queen already going to your head?” Sirius laughed, drawing her attention back to him. Her cheeks went red before she remembered that he was talking about the prophecy. 

“I’m not the queen. James said that prophecies are rarely literal anyway. It could mean any number of things.” 

“ _The true queen of fairyland approaches,’_ does not seem like a phrase that leaves room for much interpretation.” Peter shrugged. “But I suppose you are correct. No one could have predicted how James’ prophecy came to pass.” 

“I wish you would have gutted some of the nobility in a more literal sense,” Sirius sighed. “Starting with my father and worthless brother.” 

“I thought you and Regulus had tea the other day?” James asked, breaking his silent streak.

“We did.” Sirius nodded. “And then the blighter beat me at chess and said I owe him forty gold crowns.” 

“Did you bet him forty gold crowns?” Peter laughed. Sirius glanced at Lily and then flipped Peter off and she started laughing. 

“Did I use that right?” He asked, not looking all that upset. 

“Yes,” Lily nodded. “Yes, you did.” 

“We have arrived.” James said, and Lily’s heart jumped to her throat as she looked ahead of her. The hill they had just crested now gave way to a truly horrible sight. 

It didn’t look like a fire had destroyed everything, which was how Lily had been picturing the darkness. It was as though all color had just drained out of everything. The trees looked frail and decrepit, but the leaves, though entirely gray, still hung to the branches. It almost looked hopeful how they swung carefully in the breeze, refusing to fall to the ground. 

The trees themselves looked as though they’d been dipped in oil, and then slightly dehydrated. The ground was also black and gray and just, wrong looking. It all just looked wrong. 

It felt wrong here too. Similar to how she felt when she crossed back over to the mortal world, but worse. The land here still had magic, but the magic was sick, it was twisted by something evil.

And Lily had thought she could help. 

“We should leave our horses here.” Peter said, sliding off his saddle and reaching out for Lily’s horse so she could get down as well. She didn’t want to get down though. If she got down, she’d have to figure out what she could do for this land. Land that stretched over the hills and looked like it went on forever. Just dead things that looked as though they didn’t have a chance at revival. 

Sirius helped Peter tie up the horses and Remus and James came to stand on either side of Lily. 

“I know it looks a little overwhelming.” James said quietly. “It has been spreading lately, though I have touched it before and it had no adverse affects on me.” 

“It feels wrong.” She said quietly. 

“You can feel it?” Remus asked.

“I don’t like it.” She said, looking over at him. 

“What does it feel like?”

She blinked at him. “You can’t feel it?” 

He shook his head and looked back out at the land. “It feels like nothing. It’s dead.” 

“It’s not dead.” Lily argued. “It’s wrong, but it’s not dead.” 

She took a small step forward and James stepped forward with her. “I can feel it too,” He said. “It almost feels like it is asking for help.” Lily nodded. 

“Someone did this, James. Someone did this to the land. This is a curse or a poison or something. This isn’t natural.” 

“I know.” James said quietly. “It feels very wrong.” He repeated what she had already stated. 

Lily took a step forward, carefully, despite him assuring her that it wouldn’t hurt her.

It didn’t. When her full weight was on top of it, she didn’t feel any different. She didn’t feel anything overcome her any more than it already had. Though she supposed she did feel a bit like crying.

She slowly knelt down and touched the earth. It was cold to the touch, despite the sun shining over them. It was a strange juxtaposition. The sun on her back and this dying earth before her. 

She didn’t know what would happen when she got here, but she thought that she might _feel_ something that would give her some sort of clue. Instead, she was just confused and despondent. She couldn’t fix this. 

She turned back to look at James, her hand still in the dirt. 

He walked up to her and knelt down. “I have tried everything that I can think of. The earth has healed me a number of times, but I cannot seem to heal the earth.” When Lily looked back at the rest of their party, wanting to make sure that their eyes weren’t on her, she saw that they were setting up camp. 

“Are we staying her for the night?” She asked quietly. “What if I can’t do anything? What if we came all the way out here for nothing?” 

“It was a long ride out here, it is better for everyone if we rest for the night before we head back to the castle.” He put a gentle hand on her arm after that and looked down at her hand on the earth. “It will not have been a waste, if that is what troubles you. If we did not decide to try, then we all would have spent who knows how long wondering what might have happened.” His grip on her arm tightened slightly. “Where did all your hope from earlier go?” He gave her a small smile. 

Lily wanted to lean against him, not caring if she was admitting something bigger to herself with that realization. “I’m still hopeful,” But then she looked back at just how vast this sickness of the earth was, how far it had spread. She picked up a small rock and watched it crumble in her hand. “It’s just so much worse than I could have guessed.” 

“That is understandable.” He looked out at everything too. “It has gotten so much worse lately. A year ago, this was perfectly good land. Creatures lived here. Now nothing can live here.” He ran his hand over some petrified grass, and it turned to dust.

“This all happened in a year?” Lily shook her head. “And I thought I was just going to waltz in here and fix everything with a few drops of my blood.” Lily shook her head, and then looked down at her palm. That was always where people sliced in movies and tv shows, and every time Lily watched it happen, she flinched and looked away.

She could prick her finger, but that wouldn’t be enough, would it? A few drops of blood to undo all this?

“Alright, I’m stalling.” She held out her hand for the dagger that he carried on his belt. He hesitated before he reached for it and pulled it from its sheath. It was a small, decorated thing that didn’t look as though it had been used all that often. 

She took the cool metal handle in her hand and then looked at her palm again. And then up at her fingertips. 

She almost closed her eyes as she directed the tip of the blade to the center of her middle fingertip. Just a quick, painless prick. Like she was testing to see what type of blood she had, or testing her blood sugar. People pricked their finger like this all the time. 

She still flinched when the blade broke her skin and she saw a bead of blood appear. 

She just wanted to see what the blood would do. If a drop of blood had grown a whole flowering bush at the palace, then it had to be able to do something here. 

She squeezed her finger until there was a good size droplet and then turned her finger over and let the blood fall to the earth. 

It was immediately soaked up by the dust like dirt. Lily watched the spot while she held her breath, hoping for some sign of life to appear. 

But nothing changed. Nothing at all. The ground had greedily accepted her blood, but nothing had changed. 

“It wasn’t enough,” Lily said, looking back at the blade. James reached over and took the blade from her hand. 

“It was enough.” He said. “I know that you wanted there to be a reaction, so did I, but I am not going to let you cut yourself again. One drop was enough back at the castle for something to happen, it should have been enough here.”

The dread and defeat that Lily felt in her gut was overwhelming, to the point where she found herself holding back tears. 

She hadn’t wanted the prophecy to be about her, she really hadn’t. But after she’d started to think that it was possible that it was about her, she realized just how much she wanted to feel as though she had some claim to this land that she’d come to love. She wanted some indisputable proof that she could point to when the full blooded fae sneered down their nose at her and told her to go back to the mortal world. She wanted to be able to hold her head high and tell them that the land had chosen her, even if they hadn’t. 

And it had started to make sense, hadn’t it? Her blood, the colors, the desire to get back here whenever she left. If this prophecy had been about her, than she wasn’t just some mortal lusting after something she couldn’t have.

But now, she was exactly where she was before she went to Mary’s wedding. 

“I still haven’t even met Mary.” Lily sighed, pressing her bleeding fingertip against her riding pants and tucking her chin against her chest. James couldn’t possibly have followed her train of thought, but he didn’t ask what she meant by that.

James chuckled quietly and put his hand on her back. “I will make sure to introduce you when she gets back from her honeymoon.” 

“You guys have honeymoons?” She picked her head up. 

“Yes, it is a celebration between-”

“I know what it is, I just figured it was a mortal thing.” 

James stood up and held his hand out for her. She took it, welcoming his warm touch. 

“And I thought it was just a fairy thing.” He smiled. “But when Mary and Reginald get back, I will make the proper introductions. I think you and Mary will get along very well.” 

“Oh? What type of fairy creature is she?” 

“The disgraced kind. Her mother married a mortal man.” 

Lily frowned. “I thought it was common for fae to marry mortals. I mean, that was a situation I was almost a part of only yesterday.” 

James cleared his throat. “It is common for fae males to take mortal wives. It is not common for fae females to take mortal husbands. Though, her marrying a mortal was not the apex of the scandal.” 

“Apex?” Lily teased. 

“Anyway, she had been engaged to a fae male before she ran off with Mary’s father. It was a family approved pairing, a strong social alliance, a _royal_ affair. And when she broke off her engagement, she was banished from the kingdom that she had grown up in.”

“Which kingdom was she from?” 

“The Fall court. They live in the mountains. She and her husband came to my parents to ask for asylum, in case her ex fiancé decided to take revenge on the mortal. They granted it and Mary was born here.”

“But she’s still looked down upon by a lot of people?” 

James was quiet for a moment. “It is very hard to change immortal being’s minds. They have gone their entire lives believing one thing, and it is not enough for me to just tell them that they have been wrong and need to do better. So Mary had a wedding at the castle. She married one of my knights. Some people are very happy about this, some people are very angry.”

They reached the rest of their party and Lily bit the tip of her tongue. She would have to tell them now that they came all this way for nothing.

“Do not sweat it, Red.” Sirius shrugged. “We will come up with a new plan after we eat.” 

She hadn’t needed to say anything. They had probably been paying attention. They had seen nothing change when she and James had walked away. 

“I’m sorry,” She said anyway. “I was hoping that I could help, but I guess that was foolish of me.” 

“Hope is never foolish,” Peter smiled kindly, handing her a bowl of steaming soup. “Even if hope is all we have left, then we are still rich.” 

“Just giving your blood to the earth would have been too easy,” Remus said, already sitting next to the campfire with his bowl of soup. “It’s like Sirius said, we’ll figure it out. It’ll just take some time.” 

After dinner, Lily and Remus set out to collect some firewood. Of course, that was farcical, James or Sirius or Peter would use magic to gather firewood, and Lily and Remus could not carry all that much anyway. 

But they still meandered off together under the guise of collecting wood after they’d finished their soup. 

“We shouldn’t have come here,” Lily said quietly, kicking at a rock on the ground. “I feel like I overstepped and I’m very embarrassed.” She turned around and looked back at the dead earth. “There is no way I can do anything about this.” 

Remus smiled at her and nudged her shoulder with his. “I don’t know about that, but I’m glad we came either way. Got me a few more days with you.” 

Lily smiled at him too. “This is the longest I’ve been here.” She took a deep breath. “It’s going to be hard to go back this time.” 

“You gonna miss me?” Remus teased. 

“Of course I am,” Lily nodded, “But you know what I mean.” 

Remus tilted his head. “Let’s pretend that I don’t.” 

Lily narrowed her eyes and looked him over. “You know.” She shrugged. “How weird everything feels when you go back to the mortal world. Sounds and smells and colors all just feel kind of muted.” He narrowed his eyes in response. “I know it’s been a while, but you have to remember what I’m talking about! It’s been the same amount of time for both of us!” 

Remus shook his head. “I never felt like that. There wasn’t really a ‘feeling’ one way or the other, stepping from the mortal world to fairyland or the other way around.” 

“Huh,” Lily’s shoulders dropped. “I guess it could be because I’m mortal.” 

“Maybe,” Remus shrugged. “Or maybe you really are the true queen.” 

“Stop.” Lily huffed and Remus laughed at her. “My blood didn’t make any difference at all.” 

Remus took a breath and then crossed his arms over her chest. “I understand why you thought it would. I mean, I didn’t see the flowers sprout from the ground, but if I had, I might have thought a few drops of blood would have fixed- or at least start to fix- this place. But that’s not usually how magic works. You don’t get more than you give.” 

The look on Lily’s face made him explain further. “Magic is fickle. It’s not something that someone can just control- I mean, they can control it, but it’s easy to lose control if you forget that it’s a give and take. This place has been hit hard, for over a year. That’s a lot of time and energy. A drop of your blood, no matter if there are magical, prophetic qualities to it or not, is nothing in comparison. If this place has any hope, it will require something just as big as the magic that broke it. It will require a sacrifice that matches the magical energy here now.” 

Lily stopped walking and looked back at the earth. There was no energy there at all, but there had been a lot of energy lost, so she understood what he was telling her. 

“Pricking my finger wasn’t a sacrifice. Losing a drop of blood wasn’t a sacrifice.” 

“Right.” Remus nodded. 

“And James knew all this and he let me do it anyway?” Lily shook her head. “I feel even more foolish now.” 

Remus laughed. “You shouldn’t feel foolish. You don’t have innate knowledge of fairyland or magic, and no one here expects you to. We are all just grateful that you want to help.” 

“Even though I’m trying to help with no knowledge?” 

“You’re gathering knowledge. It’s not as though you’ve decided that what you say goes and you won’t hear anything to the contrary. Also, we all kind of think the prophecy is about you. I mean, I’m hoping that it’s not, for your safety. But I think it might be.” 

Lily was quiet and they started walking again. “But what would that mean?” 

Remus gave her a small smile this time and shrugged one of his shoulders. “There is no way of knowing that.”

“Right. Because that’s not how prophecies work.” 

“See? You’re learning already.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! There you go! Quite a bit of information was thrown at you in the last two chapters, but I hope you enjoyed it!   
> Reviews are amazing!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patients! I had a lot of fun this weekend camping, but I still wanted to make sure I posted something for all of you! We've got some jily in this chapter, I hope you like it!

The five of them woke up the next morning to find that the sun had disappeared. 

Lily hadn’t slept well, and when she did wake up, she felt as though she hadn’t slept at all. Her eyes felt puffy and her whole body was sore. She could blame part of that on the fact that she’d slept on the ground, partly because she had ridden a horse for a long time the last couple of days, and partly because she was tired. 

“Did you have trouble sleeping?” James asked, letting Lily know that she looked as rough as she felt. 

“I feel like I didn’t sleep at all. Like maybe I was running all night instead of sleeping.” 

She stretched her arms over her head and tried to loosen her muscles. Her butt was exceptionally sore, and she was about to say so when she heard Sirius swear.

“What?” Peter jumped up from his roll and swore as well. Lily looked around and realized why. 

The darkness had spread while they slept. 

When they had went to bed last night, they had been a good distance from it, at least fifteen meters. But now it was surrounding their campsite. 

“It shouldn’t be moving this fast.” Remus said quietly. 

“It has been moving more quickly now.” James said quietly, “But look.” He pointed at the edge of their campsite, where the green grass met the black. 

And then everyone was looking at Lily. 

“What? I didn’t do it!” She said, hoping that that was true.

“It went around you,” Sirius said. 

Lily was about to ask what he meant, but then it clicked. The ground around them had been left untouched. The place where she had tossed and turned all night, uneasy and restless, seemed to be the midpoint of the patch of green that they were standing in. Everything around them had been destroyed, even the grass under their horse’s feet nearer to the forest, was nothing but black ash and crispy strands. 

Lily locked eyes with Remus. “How was my sleep a sufficient sacrifice?” She wasn’t going to argue that she hadn’t sacrificed _something_ she felt like she’d been hit by a truck at the very least. 

Remus shrugged and looked to James and then Sirius and Peter. But none of them had answers either. “Maybe because you were just preventing the spread, not reversing the effects.” 

James nodded. “That could be it.” 

Lily wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. She needed to lock herself in a magical library and read about all this stuff for a few weeks, months, _years_ maybe. Was there some kind of school that she could go to that would teach her all the rules?

“Okay.” Lily shook her head and tried to ground herself. “What do we do now?” 

“I know we were planning on staying here and working out a way to undo this, but with the darkness spreading as quickly as it is, I think we have to ride out to a town just east of here and warn them of what is coming.” James said. “If it continues to spread at this pace, the town will be overtaken in a week.” 

“Hopefully they have a week.” Sirius said, looking around and surveying the damage. Then he looked over at Lily and there was a glint in his eyes that she didn’t like. 

“It has to be _my_ sacrifice.” She said, hoping she was right. “If you just kill me, that won’t work.” 

“I was not thinking about killing you!” Sirius raised his brow. 

“You were a little bit.” 

“Well we have to consider all the options.” 

“Killing Lily is not an option.” James said, his voice dark and firm. Sirius nodded his head. 

“I think we need to look into the prophecy more.” Peter scratched the top of his head, looking very uncomfortable with the tension that James had ensnared them all in. “She is supposed to defeat death, but it makes it sound as though death is a person.” 

“Can death not be this?” Sirius asked, waving his hand out to encompass all of the dead earth. 

“Trying to piece together a prophecy is a waste of time. We need to go and protect the people.” James said, still glaring at Sirius. “Do you remember how much time we spent on my prophecy? How much time we wasted? It is never what you think it is. We are not going to guess just because she is here now.” 

“The court of death maybe?” Lily offered up and James let out a sigh. 

“They do have a leader.” Remus nodded. 

“Severus?” Lily asked, wondering if she would feel guilty if it turned out that she had to kill him in order to save fairyland. 

“No, he’s a prince. I’m not sure how their whole system works, but he and Malfoy are princes. Tom Riddle is their leader. He doesn’t call himself a king, but rather the Dark Lord. He has a lot of nicknames though.” Remus crossed his arms over his chest and walked to the edge of the green patch. “Voldemort, Master of Death, He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, Oath Breaker-”

“Motherfucker,” Sirius interrupted. 

“Only in the expletive.” Peter assured her. 

“He could be the representative of death.” Sirius nodded. “Though, and I do not say this to offend you, I do not know how you would be capable of killing him.” 

“Because you’re all immortal?” Lily asked, tightening her arms around herself and taking a step closer to James. He stepped closer to her as well and then reached out to rest a hand on her back. She glanced at him briefly and then back at Sirius. 

James spoke though, “No. We are not immortal. We have very long lifespans in comparison to humans, but we are not immortal. Tom Riddle, he has gone to extreme measures to try and obtain immortality.” His fingertips scratched her back lightly. “He has killed people, taken pieces of their soul for himself. That way, if someone tries to kill him-”

“He’s like a cat with nine lives.” Remus interrupted, and James looked slightly annoyed, but didn’t say anything. “As far as we can tell anyway. And we don’t know exactly how many times he’s stolen people’s souls.” 

“From what we have gathered, it is a very painful and timely process. Things need to be lined up very specifically for it to work.” Peter added. Sirius looked like he was about to add something, but James cleared his throat and they all looked at him. 

“I think we should start heading to town now.” James said, looking around the camp. “We can talk more once we have some food in front of us.” 

Lily looked over at the horse and sighed. She was not looking forward to getting back on the horse. Her whole body was sore, and horses jostled her quite a bit. Maybe they weren’t supposed to, but Lily had never ridden a horse before yesterday, so she found it all rather jostling. 

“The town is not far from here.” James assured her, easily reading the look on her face. 

“I’m so tired and sore.” Lily told him. “I mean, I understand why now, but knowing has only made me feel worse.” She looked at the green grass under her feet and wondered if whatever power she had that could protect the land, could be controlled. Maybe she could learn to harness it. Remus said it was basically energy, and as a science student, Lily had a pretty good understanding of what energy was and how it worked. 

She tried not to audibly groan as she climbed up onto her horse, and then she did her best not to fall asleep while her horse followed the others. She was surprised that she was even close to falling asleep while on top of a horse, but she was so tired that staying awake was actually difficult. 

Luckily, the town wasn’t far. 

Actually, that wasn’t all that lucky.

Lily looked over her shoulder, expecting the darkness to have followed them. She couldn’t see it, but she knew that it wasn’t all that far away. James was right to be worried about this town, especially if the darkness was spreading more quickly now. 

If this was a movie, the problem would have been exacerbated by her presence, since this prophecy seemed pretty clearly to be about her. She couldn’t really deny it at this point. 

This wasn’t a movie, but Lily still thought that maybe the darkness was spreading faster because it felt her out there last night, just like she felt it. It knew she was there, it knew what she was capable of. Maybe it had spread so much because it had been testing her, maybe it wanted to see just how close it could get to her before-

Lily needed to go to sleep. She rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes and then almost fell off her horse because she’d let go of the reins. 

James pulled off the road once they’d made it into the town, which looked a lot like a farmer’s market and an old ghost town rolled in one. Unlike ghosts town though, there were a lot of people around, and a lot of them got very excited when they saw James. A few of them got very excited to see Sirius or Peter too. And Lily saw a few cast disapproving looks, or outright glares, in Remus’ direction. 

She all but fell off her horse, cussing quietly as her feet hit the ground, and then let Peter take the animal away. She didn’t know where he and Sirius were taking the animals, but she went over and linked arms with Remus. 

“I know standing next to you won’t make them look at you and nicer, but you can pretend their glaring at me if you want,” She said, purposefully tucking her hair behind her round, mortal ears.

Remus gave her a resigned look and a forced smile. “It doesn’t bother me. Not really.” 

“Bullshit.” Lily blinked at James, surprised to hear his swear. She shouldn’t have been, she’d heard him say far worse when they were children, but hearing it now, when his speech patterns were now so particular and careful sounding, was jarring. “If they have a problem with you, they have a problem with me.” James said loudly enough for the people nearest to them to hear. “We do not have to stand around and wait for Sirius and Peter. They will find their way. I am sure you two are as hungry as I am.” 

Lily was hungry. Now that he mentioned food, it was all she could think about. “I could eat a horse.” She said, clutching her stomach. 

“We do not tend to eat horses.” James narrowed his eyes slightly. “Is that what you-”

“No,” Lily quickly shook her head. She heard Remus snort. “It’s just a saying. ‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.’”

“Oh,” James nodded, “Alright then.” His ears were a little red and Lily bit her bottom lip. 

“You don’t have to be embarrassed. I don’t mean to use mortal phrases all the time. I mean we can’t all be like Remus and just always understand everything that everyone is talking about.” Remus snorted again. 

“Perks of duel citizenship as a child.” 

James spotted a small tavern that was serving breakfast and led them inside. A small fae, who came up to Lily’s waist, seated them in the back of the room, at the largest table and apologized profusely for not having better accommodations for James. 

He looked uncomfortable, but he thanked her and told her that this table was fine. It was Remus who remembered to mention that Sirius and Peter would be in shortly so she could point them in the right direction. Then he excused himself, saying that he needed to find a restroom. 

Lily watched the people around the room as they watched him leave. “Is it always like that for him?” She asked. She looked back at James, who had his chin resting on his hand as he looked at her. He blinked a few times and sat up straight. 

“What?” Then he looked around the room. “Oh, yes, I suppose. It is better when we are at the castle, but I can not control this environment so easily.”

“How did he become a werewolf?” 

“It was a curse.” James muttered. “His father, his fae father I mean, he upset an old shapeshifter who has never been a decent creature. He was using his shapeshifting abilities to hunt people down and kill them. But anyway, to punish Remus’ father, the shapeshifter paid a warlock to put a curse on Remus. A curse that is outside of his control and makes him desire the hunt, makes him lose all the parts of him that his father said were superior to the shapeshifter. We have not found a way to break the curse yet.” 

“Are there other werewolves in fairyland?” 

James nodded. “I do not know how many, but a small group of them live in the north mountains. Remus has gone to visit them a few times. After it first happened, he told us that he was going to live with them so he would not be a bother or a burden to us.” James rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. “Which he could never be. Plus, in my stag form, his wolf even likes me, so it is not hard to keep him company when he transforms.” 

“Could you not keep him company otherwise?” 

“No.” James shook his head. “Probably not. I mean, I could use my magic to make sure that I was not in any danger, but it would be miserable for him. The wolf alters his mind, he is no longer himself.” 

“Like the Hulk.” She nodded, remembering what Remus had told her before. It was still hard to fathom though. Remus was so even tempered and good natured, it was nearly impossible for her to picture him as anything to the contrary. 

“The what?” 

“Dammit, right after I told you I wasn’t going to do that anymore. It’s another mortal reference. The Hulk is a hero story, where a man turns into a giant green monster when he’s angry. He loses his mind and goes on rampages.”

James narrowed his eyes. “Then why is he considered a hero?” 

Lily shrugged. “He protects a girl in his origin story I believe. But he later teams up with other heroes. When he’s not a monster, he’s a scientist who is super smart and whatnot. Plus, he sort of learns to control the monster version of himself to an extent.”

“Alright,” James laughed, and their waitress appeared, setting out five bowls of oatmeal with peaches and blueberries, thick brown toast and a yellowish beverage. Lily sniffed hers after the waitress walked away. “It is honey melon juice.” He said. “It is safe for you to drink.” 

“Fairy fruit isn’t bad,” Lily said as she took a sip, glad that this was not fairy fruit. She didn’t need to be a giggly mess in front of James. “I mean, it gave me quite the headache after it wore off, but I didn’t completely lose my mind or anything.” 

“I am very glad that you were able to keep your wits about you.” James said. “And I will never be able to apologize enough for letting him take you in the first place.” 

Lily pressed her lips together and then shook her head. “You think it’s your fault, Remus thinks it’s his fault, but I heard those men talking. They were going to get to me one way or another. If it hadn’t been then, they might have tried when I was going home, or already home, and then you all wouldn’t have known about it and he would have had more time to try and get me to agree to something.”

James shook his head. “I know. I can not believe that he thought marrying you would give him some kind of power.” Lily remembered something new then. 

“They said something about a mad witch telling them that.” It wasn’t in the prophecy, but they had all seemed so sure. 

“Mad witch? Not prophet?” James asked, narrowing his brow. “They’re probably talking about Trelawney… mad witch though, maybe Bellatrix?” He grew quiet as he thought this over, but Lily had more questions. 

“Is he really a prince?” 

James shrugged. “I suppose. He calls himself the Half Blood Prince, because his mother was a mortal. Does he belong to a court that deems mixed fae to be ‘dirty?’ Yes, he does, but he is proud of his title and looks down on people of the same birth.”

“He was going to marry me?” 

“Bigotry does not often make sense.” James shrugged. 

“He said that he coveted me when we were children.” Lily remembered. “And he can’t lie, right?” 

James tapped his fingers against the table. “He cannot lie.” He agreed. “No fae can lie. But that does not mean that he was not being deceptive.” 

Lily nodded, because she had thought about that. At the time he had told her that he had fancied her when they were children, he’d been trying to get her to agree to live with him. She had been drugged and slap happy, but he was still trying to tint her lenses rose, instead of telling her that he wanted to marry her for power.

“I think it was both the truth and deception.” She said quietly. 

“That is also possible.” 

“Like right now,” She looked at him, resting her chin on her hand as he’d been doing earlier. His bright hazel eyes bore into hers and she almost forgot what she had been about to say. She cleared her throat and pressed on, “‘That is also possible.’ It’s the truth, but it’s also deceptive.” 

The corner of his mouth tugged upward. “You are very clever. Covet is a good word for how Snape seemed to think of you when we were younger. I know that I teased you about being Remus’ pet when you first got here, but Snape actually thinks like that. Mortals are objects that one can possess. You were something shiny that he wanted to own, and now that you have power to offer him, I’m sure those feelings have resurged.” 

“He covets power and status.” Lily agreed, trying not to feel too weird about having this conversation, where they were talking about her person as though it was something another person could claim or own. “What is it that you covet?” 

James grinned and looked across the room, where his three friends were walking in together. He must have heard them come in. “What I want most is to do the best that I can, for the people I love.” His expression was the softest she’d seen it, his voice was quiet and firm, and even if she knew he couldn’t lie, she would have believed him completely. “What about you?” He asked, looking back at her as the boys made their way to the table. 

Lily chewed on the inside of her cheek, thinking about the star maps, the treefort in her parents backyard, the sneaking out for a quick trip to fairyland. She thought about hiding her muddy trainers in the rose bushes and wearing long sleeves in summer to cover the bramble scratches on her arms. She thought about the big, wide feeling she’d get in her chest when she was confronted with something new and awe inspiring in the fae world. 

“I want adventure.”


	10. Chapter 10

After breakfast, James and Sirius left to talk to a few men who could spread word quickly throughout the town about the darkness. 

Remus and Peter stayed with Lily, both had received instructions to not draw attention to themselves while James and Sirius were gone. Apparently Lily was trusted not to draw attention to herself, because she got no such instructions.

But Reus was a werewolf, Lily was a mortal and every single person in the tavern seemed to know Peter. With James gone, apparently people figured it was alright to approach them now.

“You were at the wedding, right?” Lily jumped in surprise when a trio of fae appeared at her right. She’d been busy watching a young fae girl flirt with Peter. She had wings and Lily was trying to come up with a subtle way to ask Remus what kind of fae she was, a way that wouldn’t have offended the girl had she happened to overhear. 

But then she had her own fae to entertain. A boy and two girls who could have been her age, they could have been much older, she had no idea as it was nearly impossible to tell.

“Were _you_ all at the wedding?” Lily asked, not sure how to handle this. Remus jumped in though and she was grateful. 

“Benjy!” Remus held his hand out and the boy, Benjy, clapped his hands and smiled at him. 

“We did not expect to see you lot here.” 

“Didn’t expect to be here.” Remus shrugged. 

“Giving the mortal a tour?” He asked and one of the girls laughed. 

Lily held out her hand to Benjy with a tightlipped smile. “My name is Lily Evans, it’s nice to meet you.” 

Benjy’s smile dropped and he slowly took her hand. Remus had always told her not to give her name so freely, but there was something about knowing that she couldn’t be glamoured that made her feel a bit braver. Maybe it was naive, maybe it was a little stupid, but Benjy didn’t seem like he was a threat, and she didn’t feel as though she had anything to fear from him. And wasn’t the real first rule of fairyland to trust your gut? Closely followed by, never let them see you frightened. 

This was why Remus’ mother had told him that he couldn’t tell her about the charm.

“Benjy Fenwick.” He responded carefully. Lily released his hand and then held it out to one of the girls. 

“I’m Gwenog Jones. This is my sister,” 

“Hestia.” 

Lily nodded. “I was at the wedding, but I did not get a chance to meet you three there.” 

“Yes,” Gwenog nodded. “We heard about what the Court of Death did. Did you see him?” 

“Severus?” Lily asked. “Yes-”

“No,” Hestia interrupted. “No, not him. Did you see _him?_ He-who-must-not-be-named?” 

“Oh,” Lily looked toward Remus, but he was looking at his empty bowl. “No. He wasn’t there.” 

They seemed disappointed, but relieved at the same time. “Probably for the best. You would not have survived had he been there.” Benjy shrugged. 

“He does like to kill mortals,” Gwen said quietly. “Though there have been lots of whispers about you.” She tilted her head in accusation. 

Lily raised her brow. “What are they saying?” She was pretty sure that everything that had happened wasn’t known by the public yet. James had told her to keep it to herself, so she assumed that he and the boys had kept it a secret yet. 

Hestia looked at her sister and then toward the door. Lily realized she was checking to see if James was coming back in when she spoke up, “They are saying that you are the Prince’s new pet. That that’s why he saved you from the Court of Death.” 

Lily bit the tip of her tongue between her teeth and turned to look at Remus, trying to gauge his reaction before she said anything more. He had a slight grin on his face and was still looking down at his bowl, and she didn’t know what the smile was about, but she took the smile to mean that he was expecting her to react how she wanted, that she wasn’t in any real danger from these three. It wasn’t a warning, it was permission, and she took it.

“What is with the fae?” She asked, turning back to face them. “Why does everyone think that I have to belong to someone? Do women here not have agency over themselves?” 

Hestia sat up straighter, eyes narrowed. “Of course, we do. But we’re not _mortal._ We’re not fragile-” 

“Please save me the condescending song and dance.” Lily interrupted. “I know that you and I have our differences, but do not stand in front of me and suggest that I am weak, or less deserving of respect.” 

“You may not like it, but you _are_ weaker than fae.” 

“How strong you are physically is not the only measure of one’s strength.” Peter chimed in. Apparently, the girl who had been flirting with him had left. 

“Well said, Pete.” Remus clapped him on the shoulder. “And here comes James, looking quite pissed off, so I’d leave now Benjy. Nice to see you again.” 

“We don’t think she’s-”

“Save it, Hestia.” Gwen grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the table. 

“I told you not to attract attention.” James said, his glare fixed on their retreating figures.

“We figured it would have attracted more attention had we made a scene and told them that they weren’t allowed to sit with us.” Remus shrugged. 

“Besides, it was only Benjy.” Peter waved away James’ concern. 

Sirius looked around the tavern and then took his seat. “Peter is probably right.” He nodded. “Benjy has never meant anyone harm. Gwen and Hestia are pretty harmless too.” 

“What did they want?” James looked around the table, his eyes stopping at Lily. 

“They wanted to know if I was your pet.” Lily said honestly. 

James’ eyes widened, “My… why would they think that?” 

“Golly gee,” Remus muttered. 

“I wonder what would make them think that,” Peter said quietly, and Lily felt her cheeks heat up. She had not been expecting that reaction from them. Like at the wedding, she had the feeling that she was missing a piece of information. 

When she looked back at James, briefly at first, but then she caught his eye, she noticed this his pointed ears were red. “I hope that you were able to set them all straight.” He said before he quickly slid back into his chair, avoiding her gaze. 

_James doesn’t like you well enough._

She had thought that Sirius had been teasing her at the time, she thought that he was trying to tell her that James _didn’t_ like her, or something else, but watching James’ ears flare red again, and hearing the shift in his voice, a few things started to click into place. Perhaps she’d heard the emphasis on the wrong word.

She’d known that they had been flirting of course. And she had been flattered, she had enjoyed feeling the butterflies in her stomach and having the points of his smile aimed in her direction. And the idea that a _prince_ fancied her… well Lily had always liked the idea of living inside of a story book. 

But this wasn’t a story book, and James wasn't a character, he was a real person, same as her. Being a prince was a privilege and came with a lot of material goods, but it was also a job, and not an entirely glamorous job.

James wasn’t just his crown, he was also a boy who enjoyed spending time with his friends and who took care of them fiercely. He kept his promises, even the ones that he wasn’t magically bound to. 

And looking at him now, Lily thought that she might fancy him a little bit too. 

She looked away, hoping that no one was noticing the heat staining her cheeks. 

“She did set them straight,” Remus nodded. “Hestia wasn’t happy about it though.” Peter snorted. 

“Hestia is rarely happy about anything.” He picked up his mug and took a swig. “Anyway, if we are done with the lecture, how did things go with your meetings.” 

Sirius sighed, “Same as they went last time. They said that they are not going to leave until they have to.” 

“I understand their position.” James said. “I just do not want anyone to get hurt. If the darkness gets to their houses before they are able to get out, the houses could collapse on them like they did in the first town that the darkness overtook.” 

“It destroys buildings too?” Lily hadn’t fully understood what the problem was before. The death of the land was terrible, but it was a long-term problem. It led to food shortages and perhaps water shortages, but if it was destroying manmade things as well, then was it also dangerous to people? “What would have happened to us last night if the darkness hadn’t avoided me?” 

The boys all looked around the table at one another and then Remus looked at Lily. “There are a few people in the hospital back near the castle. No one can figure out what to do for them.” 

“And these people are being stubborn about leaving?” She asked, looking around, but knowing that none of the people here knew about the problem yet. 

“This is their home,” James shrugged. “I offered them shelter on the castle grounds, but asking people to pack up and leave their home is not something that weighs lightly on them. They will come when they have no other choice and then we can protect them.” 

Did he mean to say ‘we?’ What could Lily do except protect a small circle of earth and bleed flowers into the ground? 

But she nodded anyway. 

“We should probably get back on the road.” Sirius said. 

“Lily might want to rest,” James looked toward her and Lily, who had never liked asking people to make accommodations for her, nodded. 

“If we need to get back, then we can go, but I wouldn’t mind trying to sleep for a few hours.” 

“It took a lot out of you, red.” Sirius nodded. “I will go get you a room from the bartender.” 

“Bring us back some ale too,” Peter nodded. 

“It’s not even noon,” Remus laughed. 

Sirius and Peter shrugged. 

Lily was nervous about breaking away from the group again, since she’d been kidnapped last time that she’d left all of them at once. But Remus seemed to know what she was thinking and said something about needing a bit of rest himself. So, when Sirius came back with a room key, they walked up the stairs together to find the corresponding room number. 

“You like him.” Remus said once the door was closed. 

“Oh, let’s not play this game,” Lily sighed, falling face first on the bed. It wasn’t as soft as her bed in the castle, but she was going to pass out very quickly. She could feel her bones relaxing in a way they hadn’t been able to back at the camp. Her body was so sore, and so tired. “At least not now.” 

Remus was quiet and Lily turned her head to look at him, knowing her friend well enough to know he wasn’t relenting, only thinking. 

“Are you okay?” 

Lily sighed. “I am acutely aware of what kind of sacrifice is necessary now. My fingernails hurt. What happened to the people who didn’t get off the land in time?” 

He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his palms over his thighs. “It’s like the life was sucked out of them. They’re still alive, but they aren’t. Not fully anyway.” 

“Do I-”

“No,” He shook his head quickly and Lily relaxed again. 

“This is all a lot to take in. When we went there yesterday, I didn’t really think that anything was going to happen- I mean, I hoped. I’ve always wanted to feel like some part of me belongs here, but I didn’t think that…” She trailed off, her head throbbing. 

“Rest, Lily. We can talk more later.” He slid off the bed, so he was sitting on the floor, his back against the side of the mattress. “I’ll keep you safe while you sleep.” 

“Thank you,” She said quietly, “For being here and for not making me ask.” 

“That’s what friends are for.” 

“That and marshmallow banana sandwiches.” Lily agreed, hardly hearing Remus laugh before her body caved and she fell into a deep sleep. 

When she finally woke, it was a soft and warm sunlight that greeted her, letting her know that they had all collectively agreed to let her sleep until she woke up. She still jolted upright and looked around for Remus. 

She found James and Peter instead, sitting at a small table in the corner of the room, a deck of cards passed out between them, though they were both looking at her now, instead of at whatever game they’d been engaged in a moment ago. 

“Are you alright?” James asked. 

“Why did you let me sleep so long?” She asked, looking out the window to see the sun setting over the trees. 

“We did not really let you sleep.” Peter shrugged, looking back at his cards. “We tried to wake you a few hours ago.” 

“We were going to fetch a mediwitch if you did not wake up before sunset.” James said, also looking out the window. 

Lily took a deep breath and took stock of her body. Her thighs were still sore from riding the horse, but everything else seemed to have righted itself. Her head wasn’t throbbing, her bones didn’t feel fragile, her joints were back to being easy to move and she no longer felt out of breath. 

“Well, that’s interesting, but I feel better now.” Her stomach growled. “Hungry again, but better. Things don’t feel like they’re about to fall off or apart anymore.” 

Peter snorted. “I am very glad that your body is not about to disassemble itself in front of us.” Lily smiled at him. Of the three boys, Peter was always the one that she’d had the hardest time getting a read on. He was never as loud or confident in the pranks and antics that he participated in with James and Sirius. He was quieter, calmer, and because of that, he had spoken to Lily a lot less than the other two. She liked him fairly well now. 

“That would be quite tragic,” James looked back at his cards. 

“Where is Remus and Sirius?” 

“Getting dinner.” Peter nodded toward the door. “Sirius and I have been distracting the mother hens among us.” 

“She was near catatonic.” 

“She was sleeping.” 

“We could not wake her.” 

“She is awake now.” 

James scowled and Lily grinned at him. “I appreciate you looking out for me, and I think it might have been a bit more than just sleep, but I am okay.” 

Peter looked back and forth between the two of them and then muttered something quietly beneath his breath. James’ ears flared and Lily was not upset that her hearing couldn’t pick up whatever Peter had said. 

Lily stood up from the bed and stretched her arms over her head. She kind of wished she could sleep like that all the time, though she didn’t like that she had worried them. 

“We are glad that you are alright,” Peter said, folding his cards since James was no longer paying attention to the game and standing up. “It was a bit strange that we could not rouse you in the slightest.” 

“That does sound strange.” Lily agreed. 

There was a commotion in the corridor outside their door and Lily took a step away, getting flashes of the false door when she was being held captive, of Severus stepping through the door when it remained solid for her, her breath caught in her throat. 

But no one stepped through the door. Remus pushed it open and ran inside, Sirius on his heels. 

“Were you two racing?” Peter asked. “You forgot the food.” 

“Red! You are awake, that is brilliant, because we have a new crisis to deal with.” 

“Has the darkness spread here already?” James asked, his eyes narrowing. 

“No,” Lily and Remus answered him at the same time. They all looked at her and she shrugged. “I’d be able to feel it.” 

“No, it is not the darkness.” Sirius said, shaking his head as he tried to catch his breath. “It is _him_. Riddle is here, and he has brought his Court of Death with him.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and enjoying this fic! I'll see you next weekend with another chapter! 
> 
> Reviews are gold!


	11. Chapter 11

James stood up from the table, dropping his cards and started toward the door. Lily started to follow him, but Remus stepped toward her and shook his head. “I’ll stay with you, but there is no chance in hell that you’re going down there.”

“They’re looking for me, aren’t they?” 

“All the more reason for you to stay up here,” Peter said, rolling up his sleeves, as if he might be expecting some kind of physical altercation.

“I’m not going to march up to them and let them take me, but they came here to find me, and I want to meet this Riddle guy. I want to ask him what he did to the land.” 

“He is not just going to tell you,” Sirius sighed. “I promise you that. And no, you should stay up here with Remus. We will go and straighten things out.” He looked at her for a moment and sighed. “I usually like your fearlessness, but a bit of fear is healthy you know.” 

“I am afraid,” Lily shouted. “But just because you’re afraid of something doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it! I’ve always been afraid of this place and what it can do to me, but I love it here! If I never did something when fear popped up, then I would never do anything! Bravery is pushing through the fear, not the absense of it.” 

They were all quiet for a moment and then James spoke up. “Please stay up here with Remus.” And then the three of them walked out. 

Lily clenched her hands at her sides and stormed over to the window to see if she could catch a glimpse of the men down there who were looking for her. 

“You can’t defend yourself against them, Lily. It wouldn’t be smart to go down there and antagonize them.” 

“I wasn’t going to-”

“Yes you were.” 

“So?” Lily almost stomped her foot. “Look at what they’re doing to the land! I know that you can’t feel it like I can, but it’s so bad! How are they even doing that? How am I supposed to fix that? Especially when you four won’t let me confront-”

“I’m going to interrupt you again.” Lily bit her tongue and glared at him. “Just take a breath and listen for a minute. You said you wanted more information, right? Well, I’ll give you some more information. These men, they split off a few years back, when James decided that he was going to take being the prince seriously. It was about the same time his mother passed. They started going to the nobility and convincing a lot of them that James wouldn’t be a good leader, that they needed to rally behind someone else, that they needed to break tradition and put new blood on the throne.” 

Lily, unwillingly, felt her shoulders relax as Remus went on. “We’ve been fighting these men for a long time. Peter was approached by Severus about a year ago, they told him that they could offer his sister and mother protection, that they would elevate him in their new court, and Peter thought the entire thing was a joke and laughed in his face. But then there was an attack on James’ father, they tried to kill him, and so he asked Peter to go back and accept their offer.

“His father has been ill on and off since his mother passed, and he’s been really sick lately, so we’ve figured they were going to make a move, we could feel it all building for a while now. I invited you here-”

“Because you thought I was-”

“No,” Remus shook his head, fervently. “No, I invited you here because I needed a break, Lily. Because I thought we’d made it to the eye of the storm, that it would be safe enough, and we all needed a break from the spying and the plotting and the planning. I never would have dragged you into this, I never would have invited you here had I known that it would have entangled you in the fray of things. We’ve been fighting them for years. I know that at this very moment, they are after you because they think that you’re the one that the prophecy is referring to, but it’s so much bigger than that. James isn’t going to let you go out there after everything that these men have done.”

Lily was quiet for a moment, her frustration and empathy swirling around as she tried to figure out how she felt as she tried to make sense of everything. It was a lot of new information, and even if she was only getting it at this moment to distract her, she still needed to take it all in. James’ parents, Peter, the nobility. She was once again feeling as though she was stuck in the middle of some movie. 

“Okay, but I’m still a piece in this game now, and I don’t like being locked up here.” 

“I completely understand,” Remus nodded. “I don’t like it either.” 

Lily narrowed her brows. “You offered to babysit me up here.” 

“Yes, but only because I knew if I didn’t offer, I’d be told to stay up here, and I don’t like waiting for James to tell me what to do. He’s protective, and I love him for it, but… I mean, I don’t have any more magic than you do.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and then let out a laugh. “Actually, you might have more magic than me.” He ran his hands over his face and Lily took a seat next to him. “And your body isn’t broken.”

“I’ll help you find a way to break your curse if you want.” She said. “I know that James said that you were all looking, but if you’d be alright with it, I’d like to help too.” 

Remus let his hands fall to his lap. “I’m sorry that I brought you back here.” 

“Please don’t say that.” Lily shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. “Please.” 

“I don’t mean it to say that I’m not happy to-”

“I know how you mean it. But you don’t understand, Remus.”

“Are you going to tell me about the dull colors in the mortal world again?” He was teasing her, which only let her know that he really didn’t understand. 

“It’s not just the colors. Sounds are lifeless and food tastes bland. It’s like sheet of grey follows me around, for _days_ after I get back. And then sometimes it will just randomly hit me. I’ll see something that reminds me of fairyland and then I’m in that fog of grey again. I’m not going to pretend like I wasn’t completely shocked when I heard about the prophecy, or that people think that it’s about me, but there was also a part of me that was… not relieved, but like, ‘that makes sense,’ you know? Because this is where I want to be. This has always been where I wanted to be. And when we were kids, it was easy to pretend that visiting was enough, that going on our little adventures was enough to scratch the itch. 

“But not being here for five years,” She sighed and tucked her hair back. “It was so hard. I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t, that I was misremembering things and that I was content to just have my memories, but all it took was seeing your handwriting on an envelope and I was ready to drop everything, _everything_ to get back here. I tried to get through the forest by myself!” She laughed and looked over at Remus. 

He had his head tilted to the side and he nodded. “My mum used to say that you seemed more like a changeling than me.” He pulled his feet up to rest on the bed frame, resting his elbows on his knees. “She was so angry with me when I first told her that I’d taken you, and of course I told her because I couldn’t keep secrets from her to save my life.” 

“You mom had that quality about her. She’d just give you a look and you’d confess everything.” Lily agreed. 

“Exactly. And she was fine with me visiting. She worried of course, but she understood why I needed to go, why I wanted to go. But when I told her that I had brought you, she went white as a sheet and told me that if I ever did that to another mortal, she’d never let me go back.” 

Lily frowned, never having heard this before. Ms. Howell had never seemed as though she’d been uncomfortable with the activities that Remus and Lily got up to. 

“Then you came over one day, your twin braids, your freckles, which mum called fairy kisses,” Remus laughed, because he missed his mum, or maybe because the idea of freckles being called fairy kisses was a bit ridiculous while they were sitting in fairyland. “I know you just told everyone that you’re not fearless, but you really did act like it. A week after she found out, she came to me and said that she’d changed her mind, and that I could bring you so long as I took responsibility for you, and taught you all the rules and made sure that you took them seriously.” 

Lily remembered how different their second trip through the woods had been. Remus had listed off five rules about a dozen times. Don’t tell them any personal information. Never outright agree to anything, don’t step in any kind of circle. Don’t antagonize any fae creature, even the ones that look like they couldn’t do much harm. And don’t eat anything unless Remus gave it to her. They were simple and broad, and they had kept her safe while she’d been on the other side of the forest. 

“And then the other stipulation was that we charmed you.” He said. “And you wouldn’t stop asking me to go back, so I figured you wouldn’t mind. I didn’t know that we weren’t going to tell you about it, but mum said that it was best you didn’t know. She said that it would strengthen the charm.” 

Lily stood up and walked back to the window. She still couldn’t see anything, but her heart was in her throat. Anything could have happened to James, Sirius and Peter by now. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. “It’d be nice to sit down with her and ask her what happened to change her mind.” 

“I think the prophecy is about you,” He said, and Lily quickly turned to find his eyes. “I wish you could go back to the mortal world safely, but I also, selfishly, want it to be about you.” 

“I fit pretty well. My birthday, my parents, where I was born. I’m three for three.” She shrugged, and then turned back to the window. Nothing but an empty street. 

“But if it is you, then what about the last line?” 

“True queen of fairyland? James said that prophecies are rarely so literal. Or maybe that line has nothing to do with me. _The one with the power to vanquish the darkness approaches. The true queen of fairyland approaches._ They are different lines, they could be about different people.” 

Remus nodded. “Usually, one prophecy refers to one person.” 

“Usually.” Lily said, turning back from the window. “Can we go down there yet?” 

“No.” He crossed his arms. “I can’t protect you down there. I can only distract you up here.” 

“Well you’re running out of things to distract me with.” 

“Am I? You don’t want to know anything about James?” 

The look on his face said that he was sure he had her, but she shook her head without hesitation. “Not anything from you. If I have questions, I’ll ask him.” 

Remus nodded, “I figured you’d say that.” They were quiet for a minute. “I’m sure you’ve realized by now, but James fancied you when we were kids.” 

“Yes, I have noticed you all teasing him.” Lily stepped away from the window and tucked her hair back behind her ear. “They’re not going to hurt me if I go down there. They want me alive because of what that witch told them. She tilted her head to the side, trying to ignore the butterflies and trying to ignore the question that was on the tip of her tongue. _Does he still like me?_ Now was not the time to be worrying about those kinds of things.

She knew then answer, she’d seen the way he looked at her. She just wanted to hear someone else confirm it for her. 

But she didn’t really want that person to be Remus. She wanted it to be James. 

“I do like him.” She said, answering his question from this morning before she’d passed out. “And he’s out there right now, because of me.” 

Remus sighed and ran his hands over his face again. “Lily, I just explained to you that this was all bigger than you.” 

“And I understand that. But in this moment, those men are out there looking for me and so I feel as though James and Sirius and Peter being in danger right now, is my fault.” 

“I’m not going to tell you that you can go down there.” 

“Yes, and I don’t need your permission. I’d just like to hear you agree with me.” Lily said. “You always were rather obstinate.” 

She took a few steps toward the door, but before she could reach it, Peter opened it, looked back and forth between the two of them and then stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. And then locking it. 

Lily looked at Peter carefully, taking a step back toward Remus. Something about the look on his face and the exact moment that he’d walked in here had her on edge. She knew that Remus had said that he had no magic of his own to protect her, that being close to him wouldn’t make her safer, but she didn’t need protection from Peter. 

She was almost sure that she didn’t need protection from Peter. 

“What’s going on down there?” Remus asked, sounding perfectly calm, but the hair on the back of her neck was standing upright. 

“Rabastan sent me up here. James wanted me to stay out of sight and wait for one of them to find me.” He looked over at Lily. “I am not actually going to take you to them.” He put his hands up and the look on his face softened.

“I know.” She said, and then she felt guilty for being frightened of him in the first place. James had assured her that he trusted Peter, same as Remus and Sirius. “I don’t know why I stepped back like that. You just looked… different.” 

“I mean, they did tell me to try to get to you. I do not know why they keep giving me tasks, as I am _never_ able to accomplish them.” He chuckled and smiled at Remus, looking like his normal self again.

Remus smiled back. “I mean, you give them enough to make it seem like you’re trying, no?” 

“Yeah, but they have to think that I am beyond dim.” He shook his head. He was trying to make light of this, but it obviously bothered him. He was trying to be nonchalant, but those men scared him. She could see it in his eyes.

“You didn’t say what was happening down there,” Lily said, glancing toward the window again. 

“Well, I do not really know. I was waiting for someone to come looking for me.” He shrugged, looking toward the window. “Rabastan said that they were looking for you though, so it is probably best if we stay up here until James and Sirius come back.” 

“That’s what I told her,” Remus nodded. 

“I don’t like sitting around and waiting. I want to help, I want to _do_ something.” 

“Well, right now it would be helpful for you to do whatever you want to do, in this room.” Peter said and then walked over to the table and leaned against it. “I should go back out in a few minutes and tell them that I could not find you.” 

“You weren’t followed, right?” 

Peter gave him a look. “I have been doing this for years now, Remus. No one can track me, that’s part of my appeal. But he specifically told me to search this building, so I had to come here, might as well give you two an update while I was at it.” 

“Who all is out there?” 

“Rabastan mentioned Malfoy, Severus and then Riddle of course, but we figured that one.” Peter took a deep breath. “I do not care for that man. Something about him is broken inside. And you can feel it when he talks to you, when he _looks_ at you.” 

The hairs on the back of Lily’s neck were still standing up and so she edged back over to the window. “They knew we were traveling together.” Lily said quietly. Remus sat up straighter. She turned back to Peter, no longer fearful of him. But she had caught him in a lie. “They would know that you knew where I was.” 

He shrugged. “You do not need to worry about it.” 

“Peter, what’s going on?” She asked. “Rabastan didn’t send you to look for me, he knew that you knew where I was.” Peter stood up and moved so that he was standing in front of the door, just as people in the street started to scream. Lily’s head snapped toward the window in time to see flames coming from main street, but she still couldn’t see what was going on from this angle. 

“Pete,” Remus stood up from the bed. 

“James told me not to let her leave.” He said, his voice less jovial and firmer. “He and Sirius will be fine, but he told me not to let her leave.” 

“What is really happening down there.” 

“Riddle is down there with the people that I mentioned, a few others. And they are looking for Lily, but they are also looking for a fight. Riddle is going on again about how James should not inherit his father’s crown when he passes. He is making the claim that Lily should take the crown since the prophecy refers to her as the True Queen.”

“We figured they would say that when it became known who the prophecy was about.” 

“We don’t even know if I’m the queen or not,” It sounded ridiculous, those words coming out of her mouth. She felt like she was playing a game. But people were still shouting in the street. “That’s just the last line, it could be about someone else.”

“It could be, but the way prophecies usually work, is that they are fulfilled based on how people interpret them. What happened with James’ prophecy is not the norm. If no one ever hears a prophecy, it might never come to pass. The roads you take to avoid your fate and all that.” Peter shrugged. 

Lily shook her head. “I’m not trying to avoid anything, _you two_ are keeping me up here-”

“What could you possibly do against fire, Lily?” Remus shouted. “We are safer up here!” 

She shook her head and bit the tip of her tongue. “If I am the queen, then you have to listen to me. You both work for the crown, yes?” 

“Lily-” But she was done arguing with Remus. She didn’t know what kind of help she could offer down on the street, and she knew that there was a possibility that she would only get in the way, but she could not sit here and do nothing. 

“Peter, move away from the door,” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“I am not going to do that, Lily,” He said, even as he began to step away from the door. He blinked in surprise and then his eyes widened as he looked from his feet, to her. 

“Lily,” He said quietly, “What are you doing?” 

Lily was just as surprised as he was and shook her head. She didn’t have an answer for him, but she also wasn’t going to wait for it to wear off, so she bolted for the door, leaving the boys with the option of staying in the room or following her. She knew they would follow her. 

Lily was, on occasion, impulsive, but she was not stupid. 

She ran down the stairs and paused at the bottom, taking in the tavern first. Benjy, Hestia and Gwenog were crouching behind the bar and she ran toward them. Peter and Remus were close behind her, shouting at her to stop or to go back to the room, but she didn’t listen. 

“Benjy!” Lily crouched down next to the three fae and they jumped, Gwenog screamed and put a hand to her heart. “Where did everyone go?” 

“Most ran out the back,” He nodded toward a back door that she hadn’t noticed was propped open. 

“And you three decided to stay here?” 

Hestia shrugged. “Did not really want to run away, do not really want to fight.” 

“Plus, they saw everyone run out, so they probably do not think that there is anyone left in here.” Benjy tried to smile, but he was a little too frightened at the moment to make it believable. “Do you know what is going on? I saw the Prince run out with Sirius.” 

Lily had been hoping to get a little more information out of them, but shook her head. “Riddle is here to get more power.” She said, patting herself on the back when she remembered not to tell these strangers that she was what Riddle and his men were looking for. 

Remus crouched down beside her with a huff and Peter, she could tell, was standing behind her. Probably with his arms crossed. “James asked us to stay in the room.” He said, as though she would listen to him now if his tone was reasonable and calm. 

Lily shook her head. “I don’t really care what James asked us to do, the street seems to be on fire.” She bit the tip of her tongue while she thought. “Do you three have any magic?” She asked. 

Gwenog let out a humorless laugh and shook her head. “I am a healer, my magic is small.” 

Hestia’s shoulders drooped. “I have a small bit of elemental magic, but nothing that will help get rid of the fire.” 

“You can douse it in water!” Benjy suggested. 

“No, I can’t! Those are magic flames, my water would evaporate before it gets close to the fire!”

“Could you contain the fire?” Lily asked, ready for them to laugh at her stupid question.

“No,” Hestia shook her head. “I do not know how to do that. I can move some of it, but I cannot get rid of it.” 

Her wheels were still turning. “I think I’ve got a plan.”

“I don’t like your plan.” Remus snapped. 

“You don’t know my plan! I haven’t shared it yet!” 

“Ten bucks says I know what your plan is,” He frowned and stood up. 

“Shut up, Remus, it’s a good plan and it’s going to work!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I apologize for two cliffhangers in a row, but I did make this chapter extra long to make up for it! 
> 
> Reviews are amazing!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying yourselves this weekend. We're gonna have a double update, so I hope you enjoy that as well!

Lily did not know if her plan was going to work, but the wall of flame that was surrounding James, Sirius and the enemy party was enough to make her think it was necessary to try. There was no telling what was going on inside the flames. Peter told them that Riddle wanted to put her on the throne instead of James, what if they were trying to hurt him? What if they already had?

“Lily, are you sure?” Peter asked, standing behind her, in the shadows so that no one would accidentally see him. She nodded, mustering up as much courage as she could. 

“Do you really want to leave James and Sirius in there any longer?:” She asked. 

Peter frowned. “I mean, they’ll probably be okay.” 

“You’re just saying that because you think James is going to be upset that I tricked you into letting me out of the room.” 

“You didn’t trick me, you forced me. And he is going to be mad.” 

“Do you think I could force Riddle to leave?” 

“I would not try that if I were you.” Peter sighed and looked over her shoulder. “Looks like Hestia is ready.” He nodded. 

Lily took a deep breath and then nodded as well. “Then I’m ready too.” She took a step toward the flames and saw them start to move in a different pattern than before. 

“Remember to be quick, she said she could not hold it for long.” Peter said, his arms crossed over his chest. 

“I’m going to be alright, Peter.” 

“You better be. Or James will have my hide.” He ran a hand through his hair. 

“Alright, let’s go.” Remus came up behind her with a sword that he found behind the bar, looking angry. But he was here with her and no longer telling her that she shouldn’t be doing this, so Lily was not going to complain.

“Alright,” She took another step closer to the flames, the heat kissing her skin, but after a few more steps, the heat pushed her back. It was almost unbearable, but she continued forward. “Alright, let’s go.” 

Hestia managed to separate the flames a few inches, and Lily held her breath and squinted, the heat quickly drying out her eyes. A few more inches, it was like watching molasses move. Slow work, and the flames only seemed to get hotter with every passing moment. She couldn’t see anything inside the flames still.

Finally, there was enough space for her to fit through without touching any of the flames, and she ran in, Remus close on her heels. 

The wall of flames seemed to slam closed behind them, and Lily was a bit shocked to find that the heat that had been so searing outside, was not present in here. The flames were blue, which should have meant that they were hotter, but it was almost a pleasant temperature in here. They weren’t making any noise either. 

It was nearly silent. 

So when she and Remus burst through, panting and stomping, they drew all the attention to themselves. 

“There she is.” 

She heard Sirius swear, but her eyes followed the voice that she hadn’t recognized. 

It was Riddle.

She knew that with absolute certainty. He stood before her, his eyes zeroed in on her, and his eyes bright and blue. He didn’t look evil, he didn’t look like he’d destroyed more of the earth than should have been possible. But just like when she’d been near the dead land, she could feel that there was something off about him. 

She narrowed her brow and stepped further away from the wall of flames. She could see James taking a step toward her out of the corner of her eye, but she kept her eyes on Riddle. “The land is angry with you,” She said, still looking him in the eyes. She didn’t know where the words had come from, but she knew they were true. And something flickered in his eyes that let her know that he knew it was true as well. 

“How did you get in here?” Severus was standing to Riddle’s right and Lily’s glare intensified as she looked at him. She hadn’t noticed him before.

“I thought you would have learned not to underestimate me,” 

“And why should I have learned that? The prince is the only reason you go out.” 

“I think your arrogance had something to do with it as well.” Lily started walking toward James and Sirius. James was looking at her, she could feel his gaze, but she still didn’t look at him, she had to keep her eyes on the court of death.

“It is a great honor to meet you, your majesty.” 

“Don’t lie,” Lily smiled. She knew that he couldn’t lie, but he was not being truthful. 

“I am incapable of it,” He grinned. “However, you can say whatever you want. How free you must be.” 

“Do you feel trapped by your immortality and your magic?” Lily felt Remus come up on her other side. She was glad that he didn’t reach out and grab her in an attempt to stop her from speaking out like that. She was breaking his rules, the rules that were supposed to keep her safe.

She was strangely calm though. She didn’t feel as though she was in any immediate danger. She was far more worried about James right now. She was far more concerned about what these men were planning to do to this town. 

“I think you know that I am not truly immortal.” 

Lily blinked at him. “Would you like my condolences now, or in a card?” 

Sirius started coughing, doing a very poor job of hiding his laughter. And some of Riddle court bristled as well. 

“You are quite confident in your newfound status.” Riddle continued to smile, and it continued to feel like a threat. “I can admire that.” 

“You could, but you don’t.” Lily shrugged. 

“Perhaps a little bit,” Riddle shrugged back at her. “Though I will say that I am impressed by everything that I have heard about you. Severus told me that he was unable to glamour you.” She knew that Severus was going to tell other people, but there was a look of shock that traveled across the faces of the other court members. This was new information to them. “Would you mind if I tried?” 

Lily snorted, even as she felt James and Remus stiffen at her sides. 

“You will not attempt to glamour Lily.” James said firmly, speaking up for the first time since she’d entered the wall of flames. “I am not going to allow it.”

“I was asking the queen, prince.” Riddle only spared James a quick glance before his attention was trapped on Lily again. His use of titles felt very intentional. Did they really prefer to have her on the throne than James? Was it only because she was less of a threat? Someone that they thought they could manipulate more easily? “So? What do you think, Queen Lily?”

“Would you mind if I tried to glamour you?” Lily asked, tilting her head to the side. Remus did not stay silent this time. He nudged her with his elbow, but Lily couldn’t look over at him as he muttered her name, she had to keep her gaze locked on Riddles. 

Riddle still looked amused though, “And what makes you think that you would be capable of doing something like that?” 

Lily shrugged. “ _She shall have power that the Dark Lord knows not…_ isn’t that how the prophecy goes? So don’t you think it’s a little arrogant of you to think me incapable? Or did you think that my protection against glamour was the only power I would have?” That wasn’t her power though, it had been given to her by a charm, by a mother trying to protect her and her son. Whatever power she had that the Dark Lord didn’t know about probably had something to do with her blood making flowers pop up out of the ground, or what she’d just done to Peter back in the room. “I just walked through a wall of magical flames to give you a message from the earth. Perhaps some credit is due.” 

“How dare you stand there and accuse _me_ of arrogance.” He laughed, but she saw the truth. There was that flicker of, not quite fear, but something close to it. “You stand between the high prince of the land and the Dark Lord, leader of the Court of Death, and you accuse me of arrogance? You threaten me with powers that you know nothing about? Powers that you have never used?” He was getting angry, but he shook his head and looked at Lily more softly. “You want to use those powers to help fairyland, do you not?” 

“Stop,” Sirius snapped at the same time that James took a step forward.

She could feel the buzzing on her skin, but she felt no different as she nodded. “I do want to use whatever powers this land has given me to help heal it. What you did was terrible, a truly terrific display of power, and completely unnecessary. I will never help you achieve whatever twisted goals you have set for yourself.” 

“You will though.” He said calmly, and she hardly felt anything at all. “You will help me, because when I command a person, human or fae, they do as I wish. And I wish to become truly immortal, I wish to rule with more power than anyone before me, and if I need you to do that, then I will have you.” 

She felt buzzing at the bottoms of her feet now, something completely different from the deflected glamour. “The land is the only thing immortal here. The land that is angry with you for what you did to it. You may have already made it impossible for any mortal to kill you, but the land is immortal. She can use whatever weapons walk among her to do her will, so long as she has their permission.” Lily felt ridiculous, but she knew that every word she spoke was true. “And I’ve given permission.”

She didn’t know when she had given permission, it had to have been before she’d scrapped her knee by the pond and watched the lilies bloom. She had been so careful to avoid making agreements with the fae creatures, to avoid eating the food or dancing too long to the music, she had followed the rules and stuck by Remus’ side, but still, she had somehow given Fairyland permission to use her as a weapon against this creature before her. It didn’t feel like she’d been tricked though, she didn’t feel fearful of what that meant for her.

Her feet felt as though they had been sucked into the earth, she didn’t look down to see if it really had or not. She watched the whites of Riddle’s eyes grow as the fear in him became palpable. 

Suddenly, she could feel the heat of the flames and they were no longer silent, they whipped around them faster, wind was blowing at Lily’s hair now. Riddle took a step back and his men all looked from Lily to their Lord, trying to figure out what they were meant to do, trying to figure out which one of them had caused the changes to their secluded spot on the road. 

Lily took a deep breath and then felt her skin buzzing, her feet still felt stuck to the ground, and when she breathed out, the fire disappeared. 

It startled her, she could feel the magic traveling through her as though she was some kind of conduit, it was going back into the earth, and the earth was greedily accepting the magic. 

Riddle took another step back. “How did you manage that?” He asked, managing to make the question sound more based in interest than fear. Lily wasn’t fooled though. 

She still felt no fear, she knew that she should, but she remained calm. This man before her should terrify her, but she was only angry. “I told you, Fairyland is angry with you.” 

With the fire gone now, the people on the street were able to see what was going on, and while most of them fled, Benjy, Hestia and Gwen carefully stepped up behind Lily, silently making a statement.

“As the High Prince, it is my job to do the lands bidding,” James said, his voice low and slow. “If it is angry with you, then you are not long for this world, Riddle.” 

Riddle laughed at that, and instead of a chill going down her spine, Lily clenched her fists at her side and took a step toward him, almost giddy when she saw a few of his men take a few steps back. They were afraid of her. All of the time she had spent in Fairyland, and this was the first time that any of the creatures of this land had been afraid of her. 

Riddle had stood his ground though. “The land can be upset all it wants, but you cannot kill me.” 

Lily could hear James grinding his teeth, and then he slid his foot across the dirt path and storm clouds came rolling in, as quickly as he was moving. Riddle laughed again, and James clapped his hands together. Instead of the sound of his hands coming together, there was a crack of lightning and it hit directly where Riddle had been standing a moment before, but now there was no one there. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Riddle's men disappeared as quickly as he had once they realized he was gone. Lily made sure to glare Severus down as long as he was in front of her. He glanced briefly in her direction before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke, same as the others had. 

As soon as they were gone, Lily felt like something had released her and she almost fell to her knees. She would have if James hadn’t caught her. 

“What the hell was that?” He asked, his eyes raking over her, looking for something that he wasn’t going to find on the surface. 

“I’m not sure,” Lily said, clinging to him as her legs got shakier, “But I need to sit down. I feel a bit faint.” 

“ _I feel a bit faint_!” Sirius ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the sky, laughing. “You barged through the fire and I thought you were dead for sure-”

“Sirius,” James cut him off and wrapped his arm around Lily’s middle. “We should go back into the tavern. It is best to get out of the open.” 

“I agree,” Remus said, looking around as though they might reappear. Lily didn’t think that was likely though, but she did want to sit down. 

So she nodded, and leaned on him as he led her back to the tavern. Benjy held the door open for them and Hestia came out of the back room with large cups of water and an apron full of apples. The waitress must have fled with most of the tavern's earlier occupants, but quite a few of the people who had stayed followed James and Lily inside. 

“Eat this,” Hestia said, holding out the apple. “The sugar will help.” 

Lily reached for the water first and didn’t stop drinking until it was almost gone. Hestia hurried to refill it. Lily was halfway through an apple when James spoke up. 

“Did you mean what you were saying?” 

Lily finished chewing and then swallowed. “Yes. I didn’t know that it was true until I was saying it, I didn’t plan on saying it. It felt like something had taken hold of me.” 

“When the fuck did you give fairyland permission to use you as a weapon?” Remus sounded as angry as she’d ever heard him and she sighed, tired from the exertion of using magic that she had never known she could harness. 

“I don’t know.” Lily said. “I haven’t really had a lot of time to think about it.” But the memory came back to her before she had even finished speaking and she shook her head. “I made a wish on a star,” She laughed and took another bite of her apple. She pointed a finger at Remus, “We were twelve or thirteen, it was the only time you let me stay here overnight. We slept in a treehouse at the base of the Black Mountain.”

“You made a wish on a star?” Peter had rejoined them now, looking cautiously at James. But James’ attention stayed on Lily. 

“I’m sorry about earlier, Peter.” Lily said, distracted from the memory. “I didn’t know that I could do that.” 

“It is quite alright,” Peter smiled at her, his gaze cutting over to James again, but his smile stayed in place. “Everything worked out the way it was meant to.” 

“But yes, I made a wish on a star. Remus and I used to do it all the time in my treehouse, and we were near the mountain in a treehouse and the stars just seemed closer than ever- and then a shooting star went by and so I made a wish. I think that’s when it happened.”

“What did you wish?” James asked quietly, rolling another apple toward her as she finished the one in her hand. 

Lily shook her head again as she grabbed the apple. “I can’t tell you that.” 

“Why?” Remus laughed. “Are you afraid that it’s bad luck?” 

“Yes.” Lily nodded. 

Sirius joined them at the table, dropping down beside her. “Well, what is our next move, my Queen.” 

Lily made a face at him. “Don’t call me that.” 

“Your royal highness?” He offered. 

“No,” She sighed. “And I don’t know. The earth took the magic that he had been using, maybe that will help to ward off the darkness.” 

“Maybe,” James nodded. “But the land and you have quite clearly entered into some kind of agreement and that does make you the subject of the prophecy.” He sat up and looked at her hand beside his on the table before he took a breath through his nose and covered her hand with his. “Which means that Sirius is right. You are the true queen.” 

Lily shook her head. “No, I’m not. That magic isn’t mine. Whatever I did to make the fire go away, it wasn’t me! You called in a storm and lightning and you’re fine!”

“I did not say anything about you processing big magic.” James shook his head. “Big magic is not a necessity for a royal.” 

“Why do you think all these people followed you in here?” Peter asked, nodding his head toward all the tables around them that were quietly listening to their conversation. “They all know, same as we do, that you’re here to save us. The land chose _you._ You are the one true queen of Fairyland.” 

Benjy was the first to raise his cup, but soon everyone was mirroring the action and looking at her, their heads bowed. They all believed what they were telling her, they all believed that she was somehow some kind of queen. Despite her round ears and mortal weaknesses, they all believed that she somehow belonged here, that she wasn’t intruding or playing at being fae. 

Lily bit down on the tip of her tongue and looked out across the tavern. There couldn’t have been more than a couple dozen people here, but that was more people than had ever made her feel welcomed here. 

“I wished that I could stay here.” She said quietly. 

James’ hand tightened on hers as he laced their fingers together. She glanced over at him and he had a small smile on his face. “The land chose you when you chose the land.” He said as though it made all the sense in the world. 

None of this really made any sense to Lily though, and with everyone looking at her, and the weight of their safety coming down on her shoulders, she started to feel as though she couldn’t catch her breath. James was looking at her like she was made of the stars that she had wished on, Sirius was smirking beside her, calling her a queen and the people in the tavern were in awe after the display she’d just put on. 

But she didn’t know how to use magic, she didn’t know how to wield it. She was finally being accepted here in this place that she loved so much, only to feel as though she didn’t belong, that she was faking everything somehow, that she’d somehow tricked them into believing in a prophecy that had nothing to do with her. 

She quickly stood up, dropping James’ hand. She looked across the room, turned and headed toward the stairs. 

She took them two at a time and closed the door to the room they’d rented earlier, leaning against it with her shoulder, waiting to see if anyone was going to follow her before she slid down to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. 

Fairyland had chosen her for something, the land itself decided that she was worthy of protecting it, and here she was, sitting on the floor of a tavern, by herself, because she didn’t believe it. 

She clenched her hands into fists and shook her head. 

This is what she had always wanted really. On a much, _much_ larger scale, but this was it. She wanted adventure, she wanted to belong to fairyland, and now she did. 

It was only natural that she should feel overwhelmed, that she should feel a bit like an intruder. But she wasn’t scared, even when Riddle had first appeared, she’d been worried for her friends and the people in the town, but she wasn’t scared of him for herself. 

And she’d rushed into the fray of things without stopping to plan too much. At the time, she hadn’t even been aware of what she was capable of, that she would be able to protect herself. 

And then she couldn’t breathe again. 

She could have died. She squeezed her eyes shut and saw herself running through the flames only to catch fire, or be shot down immediately after entering the clearing. Two things that maybe _should_ have happened, had everything happened logically. But things hadn’t happened logically and so she was still alive, but she felt a phantom death pass over her again and again as she thought of all of the ways things could have happened. 

There was a soft knock on the door and Lily tensed. But she couldn’t let anyone see her like this, except maybe Remus. He would understand, he wouldn’t be disappointed in her, or angry that the true queen of fairyland was sort of a cry baby. 

She cleared her throat and stood up. “You can come in.” She said, glad that her voice sounded even for the most part.

It was James, and he walked in and closed the door as quietly as he knocked. 

He looked at her quietly too. And Lily started to crack under his gaze. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit down on her tongue. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Shouldn’t he be telling her what their next move was? That Sirius and Peter had gone to get the horses? That the people down below were expecting a speech and not for her to run?

He gave her a small smile. “You have learned a great deal these last few days.” 

She shrugged a shoulder and looked away from him, toward the window, toward the floorboards, anywhere but the stupid understanding expression he was wearing. 

“No one expects you to step into this new role cleanly. There is no right or wrong way to go about this.” He went on and Lily narrowed her eyes. Damn him for bringing her close to tears. “But I would suggest talking things out, if you are taking suggestions.” He was fully grinning now, like he had been when she first saw him in that tree, looking like a piece of the forest, animated to life. 

She let out a huff of laughter and then wiped at her eyes. “I stepped into this a little too easily a few days ago.” She shook her head. “I didn’t think it was going to change much of anything, that it was going to amount to much of anything. But did you see the way he was looking at me?” 

“Who?” 

“Riddle,” Lily let her hands drop to her sides. “He was afraid of me.” 

James nodded. “I think he could feel the magic rolling off of you.” 

“It’s not my magic.” She reiterated. “I couldn’t move my feet. I felt like I was being electrocuted, like I was nothing more than a wire.” 

James nodded. “It’s fascinating. But you have entered into an agreement with the land, and that agreement allows you to use magic of the land. It doesn’t much matter if it’s yours or not, it’s terrifying and Riddle should be afraid.” 

“I threatened to kill him.” Lily said, suddenly horrified by what she had said. 

“He needs to die.” James said quite bluntly. 

“Yes, I understand why you would say that, but I carry spiders out of my house when I find them. I brake for birds. I have never purposefully killed anything in my life and I don’t know how I would even go about killing a- well he’s not human, but the point still stands.” 

“His soul is in fragments and he is beyond saving. He has tied his life source to the earth, which is killing the land and everything else with it.”

“I understand that as much as anyone can understand that, but it doesn’t really change what I said.”

James nodded and put his hands together. “Well, we will figure something out.” 

He kept saying that. They didn’t have any answers, and she felt like she was only making things more difficult for everyone. She had magic that she didn’t know how to use, she was being used by the land in a way that she couldn’t explain, she was the center of this prophecy that was impossible to depict and now she was telling James that she knew Riddle had to die, but she didn’t think that she could kill him. 

“Well,” She huffed and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know. Maybe I can.” She didn’t think she would change her mind about this, but it had become very clear that anything was possible. 

James gave her a small grin. “We will figure it out, Lily.” He said again, “I do not want you to do anything that goes against who you are.”

Lily sighed again and crossed her arms over her chest. “I feel like I’m holding you all back.” 

James narrowed his brow and took a seat next to her on the bed. “Why would you feel like that? You have already helped so much.” 

“I don’t know what I’m doing.” 

James shrugged. “Me either.” 

Lily elbowed him and clicked her tongue. “Yes, you do.”

“Lily, I have been trying to work out how to stop the darkness for about a year now and I have not been able to do anything to stop the spread. When we were out there this morning, just you being present was enough to deter the spread.” 

“I made it go around us, faster than it would have if I hadn’t shown up.” 

“Maybe, but when things change, that can be a good thing. This does not seem like a good thing, but it is different, and that gives me hope. We have been staring at the same problem for the last year, waiting for something new to happen, and now something new has happened. It makes me feel as though something big is about to happen.” 

“I also feel like something big is about to happen and I’m a little bit terrified.” 

“Me too,” James agreed, smiling a bit. “It is a little exciting, is it not?” 

Lily pressed her lips together and looked at him, but then she cracked and nodded, her own smile showing up. “I shouldn’t feel like this. I shouldn’t be excited.” 

“Are you sure that you are not part fae, Lily?” 

She let out a breathy laugh. “I am quite certain that I am not part fae.” She tucked her hair back to show off her round ears. “Besides, the prophecy says, ‘ _Born to mortals.’_ ” 

James was still smiling at her. 

She still didn’t know how she was going to fix this. But she couldn’t say that he hadn’t lightened the weight on her shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

That night, Lily got to sleep in the castle again. Remus offered to sleep on the couch, but they were all tired after the trip to the deadland, Remus especially so. She could see the dark circles under his eyes more prominent than when she first arrived, so she told him that the guards at her door will suffice. 

James is harder to convince. 

Though perhaps because she doesn’t really want to convince him to leave. 

He has taken up residence on an armchair near the fireplace, not having mentioned why he is still in her room even though sunset was hours ago. And Lily has not suggested that he might want to get to bed, nor has she told him how tired she is, and how the back of her eyelids seem to be calling to her. 

James also seems to be calling to her, and at the moment, he was drowning out the call for sleep. 

“My heart stopped in my chest, Lily,” He said. “When I saw you running through the flames, my heart stopped.” They had been talking about the day, but this is the first time he brought up the confrontation with Riddle.

Lily, who was sitting in the middle of her bed with her legs crossed, nodded. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone, but please don’t try and lock me in a room anymore. I’m not really good at just sitting back and letting other people handle things.” 

James chuckled, “So I have gathered.” 

“And you can’t blame Remus or Peter for me getting out either. I think I was supposed to be out there. I told Peter to move and he just did.” 

James nodded. “Peter told me already. Have you tried to see if you can still-”

“No,” Lily interrupted him. “I have not. But I don’t think it was my magic. I think I just needed to get out there and see Riddle.” 

James looked at her for a moment and then nodded, reaching up and running his hand through his hair, stopping just short of the antlers protruding out the top. “You know, magic is neither good nor bad. It is exactly as it is intended.” 

Lily pressed her lips together. “I know.” At least she’d gathered as much while she listened to him and Remus give her explanations about different things these last couple of days. “But it doesn’t seem like something I should do unless I have to.” 

James nodded, “Which is why no magic you ever do will be bad.” He shifted in the chair, pulling one of his legs up so his ankle was resting on his other knee. He looked too casual to be a prince. They were quiet for a moment, neither one of them wanting to talk about Riddle any longer.

“Remus told me that you do not like going back to the mortal world.” 

Lily sighed. “I tried to tell you too. It must have something to do with the wish I made. I can’t remember if I felt that way before I made the wish or not.” 

“Well, I have already told you that you do not have to go back if you do not want to.” 

Lily smiled at him. “I know.” It was strange to think that she was honestly considering dropping everything in the mortal world to stay here. She’d need to go back for a few sentimental items, so she could try and explain things to her mother, talk to Remus’ mother, but maybe it wouldn’t feel so disarming if she knew that she was going to come right back. 

“Is there,” James cleared his throat and held onto his propped leg. “Is there someone back in the mortal world that you would miss?” 

“You mean, apart from my mother?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. 

He nodded quickly and looked over at the fire. “James,” He raised his brows and glanced back at her. “Are you asking me if I’m single?” She was smiling at him, but his ears still turned red. 

“Perhaps,” He said quietly, shifting in the chair again. 

She smiled at him and remembered how Remus tried to keep her in the room by promising her secrets about James, secrets that she said she didn’t want unless she heard them from James. This felt kind of like he was telling her a secret. 

“I’ve got no one back in the mortal world.” She said, which made it easier for him to hold her gaze. But then she felt uncomfortable with her wording and started rambling, “I mean, I have friends of course, I wasn’t walking around only conversing with my mum while I mourned not being able to come here, but- I’m single, yeah.” He was smirking now, and she felt her own cheeks heat up. 

“You draw people in like a magnet, I did not think that you meant that you had no friends.” 

Lily wasn’t so sure about that, but this bloke did seem to fancy her, so maybe it was affecting his perception of her. ”Well, thank you for saying that.” 

They looked at one another for a moment before Lily let out, quite possibly, the largest yawn of her life. She covered her mouth with her arm and then started laughing. 

“I know that you are tired.” James grinned. “I should leave you to rest,” It didn’t sound as though that was all he wanted to say, so Lily didn’t say anything. “Are you going to be alright?” He asked as he stood up. Lily was only slightly disappointed. “I can stay if you’d like.” He looked around the room. “I can sleep on the couch,” He nodded toward the couch that Remus had pointed out earlier.

“Remus already offered,” She admitted. “And while I do like having you close, I can’t pretend that I don’t feel safe here, when you’ll definitely end up with a crick in your neck.” 

He smiled at her again and walked up to the end of the bed. She wished she had seated herself at the end, instead of the middle. He held out his hand to her and she took it, maybe a bit too eagerly. “I will see in the morning then.” 

She nodded and he squeezed her hand. “See you in the morning.” 

The dreamless sleep from the night before was gone. 

While she slept, she dreamt of all sorts of terrible things. Hands reached up to her from beneath the dead earth, the trees turned to dust in the breeze, ashy, grey and white dust that swirled around and made it hard to see much else. 

She had to walk across the dead land, there was something on the other side that she knew she needed, but with all the white ash floating about, and all the hands reaching up to grab her ankles, she couldn’t see what it was, she couldn’t tell if she was getting any closer to it or not. 

And then Riddle was in front of her. His bright blue eyes seemed to be glowing and he was smiling at her. He looked so handsome standing in the middle of all this death and destruction. How could one person do all this, how did he look at what he had done and feel no remorse. 

_“You could help me, you know.”_ He said, and when he moved toward her, he seemed to float. The hands didn’t reach for him. They didn’t plea for his help as he moved past them. _“Helping me and helping them does not have to conflict. You can do both. You should want to do both.”_

He reached out for her and Lily, with the hands grabbing at her ankles, she couldn’t move away from him. He paused with his fingers just over her skin. _“Help me, Lily Evans. Help me create a new world.”_

“No,” She said quietly, her voice raw in her throat. “No, I won’t help you.” 

_“We could accomplish so much together. Imagine what we could do if we combined our magic, imagine how much we could change!”_ His fingers still floated over her cheek, like he was about to caress her. Lily felt fear creep up her spine, fear that hadn’t been present when she was actually standing before him. He smiled when he saw it. _“There it is,”_ He took a deep breath, _“But you need not be afraid of me, Lily Evans. Not if you agree to work with me. Together we could be so much more than we are alone.”_

Lily kept shaking her head. “I will never join you. I won’t do it.” She said. “There’s too much at stake, you’ve hurt too many people.” She tried to pinch her arm to wake herself up, but it didn’t work, this wasn’t like a normal nightmare.

He gave her a careful and calculating look. _“You understand that I cannot allow you to work against me. And I did offer you another way, you were simply too weak to accept it.”_

And then his hands were wrapping around her throat. She tried to scream, to call out for help, but she couldn’t take in the breath she would need to do so. She reached up to try and knock his hands away from her throat, but then he was screaming out in pain and stepping back. 

_“What did you do to me!”_ He shouted, holding up his hands. The pale white that they had been before, was decaying, just like the trees, and before Lily’s eyes, his hands turned to dust and blew off in the breeze. _“What did you do to me!”_ He screamed again, as blood started pouring from the ends of his arms. 

Lily fell in her haste to get away from him, and then the ash and dust swirled around her, obscuring him from her view.

Closing in on her.

Making her feel like she couldn’t breathe again. 

And then she bolted upright in bed. Fully awake and absolutely terrified. 

She ripped her covers off and her feet hit the stone floor with a _smack._ She ran over to the mirror, and she felt irrational checking, but she pulled down her nightgown and threw her hair over her chest. 

And then she screamed. 

His handprints were still on her neck. 

She turned around to look around the room, just as two guards burst into the room. There was no one in her room. 

“Are you alright?” One of the guards asked her, rushing over to her side. His eyes widened as he saw the marks on her neck. He turned to the other guard, “Go and fetch the captain!” 

“I’m fine,” She said, but the handprints on her neck felt as though they were burning now, and she turned back toward the mirror and traced her fingertips over the shape lightly, she hissed in pain. 

Soon the captain, a large burly man with only one eye and one leg, looking much to Lily like she imagined a pirate would look, came barreling into her room, looking about and berating his guards for not being vigilant enough. She tried to tell him that it was just a dream, that the marks on her neck had to be there through some kind of magic, but he didn’t seem to care. He had the female guard escort her down to the mediwitches.

And sitting on a bed in the hospital wing of the castle, is where she met the king. 

She didn’t recognize him at first. He was leaning against the wall across from her with a quiet and thoughtful look on his face, but there were a flurry of medics rushing about Lily, trying to determine what they could do for her and if the burns on her neck, and the bruising that had appeared since she left her room, were the only injuries they needed to worry about. 

No one seemed to pay him much attention, he just leaned against the wall and sipped something out of a teacup. A simple teacup, made of white porcelain. It looked entirely out of place here in fairyland. 

He stayed there like that until the medics had slathered her neck in a salve and tucked her into one of the beds to rest. When they started to disperse, they seemed to remember that he was there, but he waved them away as he slowly made his way across the room, stopping at the bed next to her and taking a seat. 

And that’s when she recognized him as James’ father. 

“Your highness,” Lily tried to bow her head, but the salve was drying and started to crack. “It’s an honor to meet you.” She’d never met the high king before. She’d seen him from afar a few times when she was a kid, but she’d never met him, never spoken to him. 

“And it is an honor to meet you as well,” He nodded his head back at her and then took a sip of his tea. “Though you may call me, Monty. According to the prophecy, while I may be the high king, you are the true queen. One could argue that something true is, well, higher than high.” 

Lily’s eyes were wide, and she was sure that she looked like a child, looking at him in awe like she was. He didn’t look like James, not really. His hair was white, and while unruly like his son’s, Lily had a feeling that it was due more to the time of night than its natural state. His eyes were a light brown, with no other colors warring for attention. His skin was pale and sallow. He was sick, that was what Remus had told her. His dark red robes seemed to weigh him down, and he slumped, not bothering to sit tall and proud. He was tired, and it showed. 

“I really don’t think so, your highness.” Lily said, and then shook her head, he had just told her to call him ‘Monty.’ Disregarding what James said had become easy enough, but it felt fundamentally wrong to disregard what the high king said. “Sorry, Monty.” She tried to correct it. “From what I hear about prophecies-”

“They are fulfilled mainly by accident.” Monty smiled. “And only when people start to believe in them. I have heard many different accounts, aside from James’ of course, about what happened yesterday. You stood against the Dark Lord, and you survived. More than that, you made him flee.” 

Lily shook her head. “James’ magic made him flee,” 

Monty shrugged a shoulder, and it looked as though it wore him out to do as much. “My son is impressive. He always has been. But Tom has always known what James was capable of, and he has never been deterred by his presence before. He would not have left without what he came for without a compelling reason.” 

Lily frowned and reached up to her neck. “Do you know what he did to me?” 

Monty frowned as well, and looked at the marks. “I do not. Though I do know that he was not here. We have wards against apparation. No one can apparate in or out of the castle. And if he was walking through the halls, someone would have seen him.”

“He wasn’t in my room.” Lily shook her head. “I woke from the dream and I was alone.”

Monty nodded. “He is desperate. Desperate men are dangerous,” He slowly stood from the bed. “But just as dangerous to themselves as they are to others. He’s already made one mistake tonight.” He winked at her and then the hospital wing doors were being thrown open and James was running in, looking both livid and in anguish. He was still wearing what he’d been sleeping in as well. A pair of trousers and no shirt. He had thrown on a robe, but his chest was still on display and Lily felt her cheeks heat up. 

“I’m fine!” She said quickly, watching a medic jump out of the way as he continued to storm toward her.

“I should have stayed with you.”

“There was nothing you could have done,” She tried to reassure him, though she didn’t know how that would reassure him. 

James’ dad patted him on the back when he reached Lily’s side. 

“I will be off to bed now. I hope the rest of your night is far more peaceful, Lily.” 

“Thank you,” She said quietly, watching as James enveloped her hand in his. “Goodnight, Monty.” He offered her a small wave and then started toward the door. 

James leaned forward, getting so close that Lily could smell him, count the starburst in his eyes, but his eyes were on her neck. “I promised to keep you safe.” 

“A stupid promise, really,” She offered him a small smile. “Especially given what’s going on, yes?” 

His eyes flashed up to hers. “What happened?” 

“I’m not sure.” She looked around, but everyone seemed to have left the room now. “It was a dream, but it wasn’t. I was back at the dead land, and I was trying to find something,” She shook her head, “Riddle showed up, and then… I think he was trying to glamour me again, or maybe he just thought he could get me to agree to work with him, I don’t know. But I refused, and he said something about how he’d offered me a different way and then…” She trailed off and motioned to her neck. “But before I could try and get away, he started screaming.” 

Her stomach turned as she remembered the look of pain that had overtaken him, the way his hands had decayed until they had turned to ash. The way his blood had pooled on the dead ground. 

She shook her head and spoke quietly, “His hands turned to ash.” 

James squeezed her hand in his and she looked down at them again. 

“I want to tell myself that it was just a dream,” She said, “But,” Her free hand touched just under her neck. “What kind of magic was that?” 

James took a shallow breath, “I’m not exactly sure. I’ve heard of people invading people’s dreams before, but not like this. His hands turned to ash?” 

She nodded. “I think I have these marks because _I_ burned _him_.” A shiver went down her spine. 

James took a deep breath, appearing much calmer. “He cannot touch you.” 

“Well he can, but his hands will disappear.” Lily rested her head back against the pillow, her stomach still turning. “There was so much blood, James.” She said quietly. 

“I wonder if he was actually affected, as you were,” Lily shook her head. 

“I hope not, or the next time I see him, I might faint.” James almost smiled now. 

“He did this to himself.” He reminded you. 

“I know, but I still feel like I caused it and it’s making me feel sick.” 

He reached up and brushed his fingers over her clammy forehead. “I am sorry that this happened.” 

“It’s a good thing,” Lily shook her head. “Things are happening, right? Means we’re getting somewhere.” 

He gave her a small smile, a real one now, “Okay, but let us be done with things happening to you for a spell.” 

“Sounds good to me.” Lily agreed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are amazing <3


	15. Chapter 15

James didn’t leave her side for the rest of the night.

She tried, feebly, to get him to go back to his room and get some sleep, because it didn’t take long for her eyelids to get heavy again. But he simply brought a chair over and held her hand while she fell asleep. It wouldn’t have been a comfort to have him hold her hand and watch over her while she slept only a few days ago. She hadn’t trusted him, she had been weary that he would try to trick her or that he had ulterior motives. 

But now she treasured the warmth that passed from his hand to hers, and she didn’t see a fae capable of being a monster when she looked at him. She saw the warmth and worry in his eyes and knew that it was genuine, she saw his messy and tousled hair sprouting out around his small antlers and saw a boy who had had to grow up to quickly to wear a crown that he didn’t literally wear that often.

It was also astounding to her just how normal it seemed for him to have antlers growing out the top of his head.

When she woke up the next morning, Remus was arguing with one of the medics in the corner of the room, Peter and Sirius were lounging on a pair of beds on either side of her and James was resting his head against her bed, his hand still wrapped around hers.

“You should have slept, like I told you to,” Lily said, reaching out and running her fingers through his hair without thinking. He jolted upright and her hand fell back to the bed. His eyes were wide, and Remus stopped arguing to look at her. “Was I asleep for too long again?” 

James shook his head. “No, no, it is morning now.” 

“Are you feeling alright, Lily?” Remus asked, walking up to the end of her bed, almost sheepishly. 

“Perfect, actually. You?” 

Sirius snorted and Remus narrowed his eyes at the both of them. 

“I’m alright, Remus. I need you to stop blaming yourself for whatever happens to me.” 

“I can’t do that,” He said. “My mum made me promise to look after you, and us fae take promises a bit more seriously than mortals do. I knew inviting you here was going to be dangerous and I did it anyway.” He put his head in his hands, his hair flopping forward. 

“I know, but we’re not kids anymore. At some point what happens to me has got to start being my own fault.” Lily tried to bump him with her toes, but she couldn’t reach him. “And everyone is calling me the true queen now, so maybe I should start looking after myself.” 

“I do not know how good of an argument that is,” Peter laughed. “I mean, we do spend all of our time looking after James, and he is the high prince.” 

“Yes, but I spend all my time keeping you lot out of trouble as well,” James shook his head. “It is a give and take and an uneven one at that. Sirius is always knee deep in some kind of trouble.” 

“That is true,” Sirius nodded. “And Remus never once, has blamed himself for the trouble that I get into. Seems like he might like you more than he likes me, Lily.” 

“Or maybe you go looking for trouble,” James suggested. Remus pulled his hands away from his face and looked at his friends. 

“I’m still glad that you invited me, if that makes you feel any better.” 

“You having an apparent death wish does not make me feel any better, thank you.” Remus huffed and sat down on the end of her bed. “You have actual handprints around your neck. That you got while you were sleeping, in a dream! How are we supposed to keep you safe if you’re getting attacked in dreams?” 

“A dreamless draught.” A medic said, coming up to Lily to check on her wounds. She had another jar of the salve they had used last night. “Which is what we gave her when she came in, which is why she had no more dreams, yes?” She looked to Lily for confirmation. “I’m Madam Pomfrey, by the way.” 

“Thank you for taking care of me, Madam Pomfrey.” The mediwitch nodded curtly. “And she’s right,” She added, looking at Remus. “I didn’t have any more dreams, though I don’t think Riddle will try that again regardless. Did you tell them what happened to him?” 

James nodded. “His hands melted.” 

“No!” Lily made a face and flinched away from Pomfrey. “Sorry,” She muttered. “No, his hands didn’t melt, they turned to ash!” 

“That is significantly less gross.” Sirius nodded.

“Significantly.” Lily agreed. Madam Pomfrey finished with the salve and dressed her wounds again. It felt very strange to have bandages around her neck, nothing like having a bandage on your knee or your finger. This one was going to be hard to forget about.

Lily quietly thanked her an then she walked away.

Peter snorted. “Can you imagine him walking around right now, angry as hell because he tried to kill you in a dream and ended up losing his hands.” Sirius laughed, but Lily couldn’t find it in her to even smile. 

Because Peter was right. Riddle was going to be angry as hell and that would make him lash out impulsively. 

“I need to go to the library,” Lily said. “I need to start actually learning about this stuff,” She pulled back her blankets and swung her feet around to the floor. 

“You need to rest,” James said, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her from getting up. 

“I’m fine.” She shook her head. “I have slept quite a bit, especially considering everything that’s happened. I need to go to the library.” She stood up and looked at Remus. “Will you help me?” 

“Of course,” He nodded, standing up and walking around the bed. “I don’t really know what you want to look over, but I’m quite familiar with the library.” 

“Lily,” 

“James, I’m sure that you have things that need your attention. I’m fine.” She tried to assure him, but assuring him also wasn’t at the top of her list of priorities just then. She needed to get to the library and learn something, she needed to figure out what Riddle’s plan was going to be and what her role in all of this was. There was something in her itching to go, just like when Remus and Peter had been trying to keep her in the room above the tavern. Riddle was going to do something and she needed to be prepared when he did.

“We do have things that we need to be doing,” Sirius agreed, getting up from the bed that he was sitting on. 

“And she does appear to be fine.” Peter added.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to her,” Remus assured him. 

Lily looked around at the four of them and laughed. “James, go do your job. You three,” She looked at each of them, “Stop talking about me like I’m not standing right here. I’m not fragile or weak or incapable of speaking!” 

And then she started out of the hospital wing, not having a single clue where she could find the library, but knowing that Remus would catch up. 

She hadn’t realized that she’d given them direct orders.

The library, as with the rest of the castle, took Lily’s breath away when she stepped into the room. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. The sheer volume of material in here was astounding. She didn’t know how anyone could manage to keep track of all of this without a computer of some kind. 

She gave Remus a general idea of what she wanted to look at first, and he was able to narrow things down for her. He got her an intro book about prophecies, a book about the general concepts of magic and a few others that he wanted to look at. Books about dream magic, and sacrifices throughout history. He also found a book titled, ‘Living at Peace with Fairyland.’ It felt a bit on the nose, but he reminded her that when on a journey, sometimes the answers were put in plain sight for you to find. 

But it ended up being a cautionary tale for mortals who stumbled into fairyland, but he said that he would read it later anyway, just in case.

They set up camp in front of a fireplace that was unlit. It was the middle of summer after all, but it was cozy without a fire, and there was a blanket that Lily could wrap around her shoulders. She’d never changed out of her pajamas, so she was still wearing her nightgown, and even with the windows in the library open and the warm summer air coming in, she was still a bit chilly. 

“You keep touching your neck.” Remus said after an hour or so of them quietly reading. 

“Well, you keep looking at it.” She countered. “Did you find anything in your book?” 

He shook his head. “No. I’ve never heard of magic like that. And all dream magic says that in order for you to access someone’s dream in any kind of substantial way, you need to be connected to them somehow.” 

Lily frowned. “Like related?” 

“No,” Remus shook his head. “It could be the land that is linking you. He’s draining it, which connects him. And then you’ve agreed to let the land use you as a weapon, so you’re connected. It could explain why you burned him too. He was using a connection that favors you.” 

“That sounds made up.” Lily sighed, flipping the page in her book. 

_Thousands of prophecies fail to come to pass every year, because thousands of prophets choose to keep those prophecies to themselves. A fae without knowledge of what their future holds, holds power over what their future._

Lily scoffed. She understood to an extent, but at the same time, it didn’t seem like real magic if prophecies only came true if people _made_ them come true. 

“I know it sounds made up,” Remus sighed, slouching over in his chair. “Because I just made it up. I mean, theoretically, it sounds good. But I did just pull it out of my ass.” 

Lily laughed, “It does sound good. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.” 

“Shut up,” He muttered. “I’m going to go and get a charms book. Maybe we can fashion something together to keep it from happening again.” He stood up and Lily shook her head. “I don’t trust a dreamless draught against Riddle’s magic, Lily.”

“He’s not going to do it again. I don’t think he’d risk it. He’s going to do something else.” 

Remus sat back down and looked at her. He looked so tired and Lily wished that there was something that she could do for him. “What do you think he’s going to do?” 

Lily sat up and put her book on the couch next to her. “Well, what is his goal? What is it that he’s trying to accomplish, other than gaining immortality?” 

Remus frowned. “He wants power. He wants to be the high king.” 

Lily nodded. “And he’s angry and scared. That isn’t a good combination for a man like that.” 

“They had that witch tell them that you would give them power.” Remus said.

“Clearly he’s elected to ignore that.” Lily shrugged. “I mean, he did try and kill me.” She kept her hands in her lap so he wouldn’t say anything about it. 

“Maybe.” He let his head fall into his hands. “There are just too many variables! How are we supposed to be prepared when we don’t know what he’s going to do?” 

“But we do know.” Lily shook her head. “He’s going to make a play for the throne. For King Fleamont’s throne. And he’s going to do it soon. He knows that he can’t hurt me, I might be able to hurt him, he’s scared and he’s angry and so he’s going to lash out and make a hasty play for the throne.” 

Remus tilted his head and looked at her. “You sound pretty sure.” 

“I am sure.” Lily nodded. “That’s why I wanted to come here, so I can learn more and be prepared for when he gets here.” 

They went back to their books for a few more hours, Remus getting up to switch them out every now and then, sharing bits of information, Lily asking questions at a rate she thought was too often, but for the most part, they sat quietly. 

And so, when Sirius and James entered the library, loudly talking about patrol schedules and the need for extra training, Lily jumped and Remus dropped one of his books. 

“This is a library, your highness,” The librarian, who had let Remus and Lily be for the last few hours, quietly reminded James. Lily leaned over and picked up Remus’s book for him and then sat up a bit straighter.

“My apologies,” James nodded at the older woman and then looked at Sirius as though he was used to being reprimanded by the librarian. They both sat on the couch next to Lily and James looked at her with wide eyes.

“So, what was that?” He asked.

Lily narrowed her own eyes and frowned. “The librarian told you to be quiet.”

Sirius snorted. “No, back in the hospital wing, red.”

Lily’s frown deepened. “What are you on about?”

“You told me to go and do my job,” James said, “And so I had to go and do my job.”

Sirius laughed now, “Yes, and he was quite grumbly about it the entire time.”

James glared at him and then looked back at Lily.

“I forced you?” She asked, her voice quiet. Then she threw her hands in the air and stood up. This kind of realization required some pacing. “How can I do things like that without even realizing that I’m doing it!” She looked over at the librarian, but she was busy with a stack of books.

She looked back at James who was holding the charm bag that prevented people from hearing what you’re saying when they weren’t right next to you.

“I didn’t mean to,” Lily said, pulling the blanket closer around her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to force you to go and do anything. I thought magic was supposed to require some kind of sacrifice, that you were supposed to be focused on your intent when using it?” She waved toward the book she’d been reading about the elementary concepts. “How can I do it accidentally?”

“Well,” Sirius kicked his feet up on the table that Lily’s books were on and put his hands behind his head. “You _did_ mean it when you said it, even if you did not think that saying it out loud would force him to go and do his bloody job.”

“I’m sorry,” Lily said.

James waved off her comment. “I know you did not do it on purpose. I find it interesting more than anything.”

“And frustrating. You had a lot of work you needed to catch up on.”

James gave Sirius another glare and sighed. “Yes, I suppose I have had other more pressing matters to attend to these last few days.”

“You are just lucky that your dad has been picking up the slack or you would have been stuck in the throne room all afternoon.” James reached over and shoved him. “I mean, a pretty girl shows up and it is as though-“

“Yes, we get it,” Lily sighed, sitting back on the couch and pulling the prophecy book toward her. “I’m a distraction. But can we focus? For just a minute? And then you can go back to teasing James.” She was going to have to word everything as a question now, so she didn’t accidentally make anyone do anything they didn’t want to do. It was like _Ella Enchanted_ in reverse.

“What do you need us to focus on?” James asked.

Remus leaned forward. “Lily is quite sure that Riddle is going to make an appearance here very soon.”

That sobered Sirius up rather quickly. He dropped his feet back to the floor. “Why do you think that?”

“It’s like Peter said,” Lily sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. “Riddle is mad as hell. And he’s scared. Anger and fear make people do desperate things, and I just have a feeling that he’s going to come here and try and grab what it is he really wants.”

“You think he is going to try and kill you in person?” Sirius asked.

Lily shook her head, but then sighed. “He won’t try again himself., but I suppose he might try and have someone else do it.” She couldn’t help but look around. “I hadn’t thought of that, but of course he’s going to try and kill me, if he believes that I’m the only one that can harm him. But no, he’s not going to come here to kill me, he’s going to come here for the throne. He wants to be the high king, right?”

The three boys all looked at one another and then James slumped back against the couch.

“Where’s Peter?” Lily asked.

“I asked him to go to Severus’ and,” He ran a hand through his hair, “Well, I asked him to confirm what you just said. I think he is going to make a grab for the throne as well. He will most likely challenge my father. And I will take his place in the duel. And then…”

“And then you fight him.” Sirius said. “You send his ass back to the hole that he crawled out of.”

Lily kept looking at James. He tried to smile for his friend, but she knew, same as he did, that it wasn’t going to be that easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't exist yesterday... But we got there just under the wire. I'm posting this chapter about two minutes before I have to run out of the house! I hope you enjoy!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday everyone! To everyone that doesn't follow me on tumblr, I am sorry that I didn't give you a heads up that I wasn't going to post last weekend. I tried, but this chapter was giving me some trouble. I really hope that you like it though!
> 
> Enjoy!

Lily didn’t leave the library with any answers, but she couldn’t say that she didn’t feel better, quipped with the extra knowledge that she had gathered. She also left with an armful of books that James insisted he carry back to her room for her. 

And Lily let him, even though she was capable of doing it herself, because she wanted him to walk her back to her room. 

It seemed a bit silly and frivolous to even entertain the idea of stealing a moment alone with James for anything other than plotting and scheming and planning, but she couldn’t quite help herself. 

“I hope you know that there will be no talking me out of sleeping on your couch tonight.” He said as he managed to open her door with one hand while balancing the stack of books, quickly stepping inside so he could lean against the door and let her in. 

She stepped past him, into the room, and shook her head. “Well no one can claim that chivalry is dead in Fairyland.” She teased. “And I appreciate that, but you need to sleep. You stayed in the hospital wing all night. In a chair no less. You’re not going to sleep well on that couch.” 

James shrugged and carefully set the books down on the table, quickly sorting them into smaller piles. 

“I will be fine. I have slept in more uncomfortable places.” He looked over at her. “Like the ground a few nights ago.” 

Lily shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll just feel bad though. The beds in the castle are so comfortable. And I really don’t think that Riddle is going to try something again tonight. Not in my dreams anyway.” 

James leaned against the table and crossed his arms. “I think you are right. He will try something soon though, and when he does, I would rather not have to track you down.” 

Because Riddle was going to come for her. At some point or another, he or a proxy of his, would come for her. 

“Alright,” She conceded. “I mean, if I knew how to better use magic, or if I had a way to defend myself that didn’t depend on the land deciding when I can and cannot order people about, then I’d say no, but… I’d be more comfortable with you here as well.” 

“Then it is decided.” James grinned. Lily couldn’t help but smile back at him. 

“I think I’d like to take a walk before dinner.” She said, peeking out the window at the brilliant blue sky and the sunbeams cutting through the clouds. “Some fresh air sounds heavenly after being in the library all day while knowing that the sun was out.” 

“I can show you the gardens.” James offered. 

“That sounds wonderful. Let me just change out of my nightgown.” He smiled and then slipped out of the room. 

Lily pulled out her JanSport instead of going to the wardrobe, and dug out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. She felt a lot more like herself when she had her own clothes on, and her hair braided and away from her face. 

She picked up the bag and set it on one of the chairs by the table. As she went to zip it, she caught sight of Remus’s invitation. She remembered standing in her room, worrying over whether or not she would need to bring it with her, to prove that someone had invited her, that she wasn’t trespassing. 

Not only had James come to assist her through the Forbidden Forest, but now she had come to realize that there were greater forces at play here. She would have ended up back here one way or another, because despite how the fae had made her feel as a child, she belonged her.

She took out the invitation and folded it into quarters before stuffing it back into the bag. She’d keep it because it was from Remus and she was too sentimental, but it was no longer permission to be in Fairyland. 

James held her hand while they walked through the garden.

It would have taken them the rest of the evening to get through the garden with how often Lily was stopping to get a closer look at something. The micro-fairy family that lived in the knot of an ancient elm tree, the bird sized bumble bees that were napping in the sun atop flat boulders, the flowers that were literally dancing in the breeze. It was all peaceful and enchanting, and it was interrupted by Peter. 

“What is going on, Peter?” James asked, his grip on her hand tightening just so. He didn't want to be interrupted. Lily looked over at him and then smiled down at the ground. “I expected you to be back later. Is everything alright?” 

“No,” Peter frowned. “No, I am afraid I come with bad news. Severus Snape is here, and he is asking for an audience with the two of you. On behalf of his master.” 

Lily’s head snapped up and she looked from Peter to James to the front of the castle, where she assumed Snape would be waiting. She felt as though her feet were tingling again, like when she’d stood in front of Riddle. But this time it was more a comfort than concerning. 

“Well then,” Lily let go of James’ hand and shoved her hands into her pockets. “I guess we should go and see what he wants.” She toed off her trainers, letting her toes curl into the moss and grass and dirt beneath her. The buzzing intensified and she leaned down to pick up her shoes. She’d gone into the last situation unprepared and ignorant on how her magic worked. 

This time, she didn’t feel that way. She felt strong and ready. 

She took a deep breath and then reached for James’ hand again, feeling comforted when his fingers quickly laced through her own.

“Are you sure you are ready?” He asked. 

“Yes,” She nodded. Then she looked over at him. “Can you feel it?” 

He narrowed his brow. “Feel what?” 

“The magic.” She shrugged. “The buzzing. I can feel it.” 

“Is that why you took off your shoes?” Peter asked, his head was tilted to the side. Lily looked down at her shoes in her hand and then laughed. 

“I guess it is.” She nodded. “I didn’t realize that I had done that. Or, I hadn’t realized that it was a strange thing to do anyway.” 

James shrugged. “Whatever makes you comfortable.” 

She smiled at him. “Where are we meeting him?” 

“He is waiting in the throne room.” Peter answered. “Sirius and Moody are with him. And Remus.” He added. Remus wasn’t a guard and he’d told her before they knew how much magic she had access to, that he was just as vulnerable as she was here. 

“I don’t think I’ve been in the throne room yet.” Lily started walking toward Peter, who turned and began leading them to Snape. 

“It is quite lovely most of the time,” James said conversationally, as though they weren’t walking toward a man who had kidnapped Lily, who was here to deliver a message from a man who had tried to kill the both of them, who wanted to take James’ throne and exploit Lily’s magic. As though it was just another day. 

“Is it? Well, I would expect nothing less. The entire castle is beautiful. It looks like it’s been taken straight from a storybook.” 

They continued the rest of the way in silence, moving at a normal pace so that when they got to the doors of the throne room, they walked in looking completely at ease. Snape was standing in the middle of the room and when he turned around to face them, Lily made sure to drop her shoes at the edge of the door. 

“You’re right,” She said, looking around the room at the floor to ceiling windows, the artfully decorated ceiling, and the stone carvings on the walls. “This room is absolutely beautiful.” She continued to let her gaze wonder before she looked at Snape. 

He was looking at their linked hands. 

“Well,” James said, leading Lily up to the raised platform on the far side of the room, where two thrones sat side by side. “What message do you bring us?” 

“You are a stupid and foolish girl,” Snape spit out instead. Lily raised her brows slightly. 

“Really?” She asked. 

“You think he has not heard the prophecy as well? You think he does not intend to use you for his own purpose?”

“How dare you come here-“ But Lily squeezed James’ hand and he stopped.

Lily bit the tip of her tongue for a moment, “You fae males think that you are so much better than mortal men. But you’re motivated by the same things. Pride and envy. Greed and want. And most of you all feel comfortable assuming that women, fae or otherwise, are incapable of intelligent thought. I can’t be glamoured, I can’t be tricked, so please explain yourself to me. You tried to force me to accept your home as my prison, you tried to trick me into agreeing to marry you. Are you simply angry that I am willing to stay here without magic tricking me, or are you too stupid to see the difference in situation?” 

He glowered at her, brow furrowed, and hands clenched at his sides. 

“You came here with a message,” James repeated, and though his face remained stoic, she could hear the smile in his voice. “What is it?” 

Snape continued to glare at Lily, and she held his gaze until he looked toward James. “Lord Riddle is challenging you, Prince James, to a duel. On the deadlands, in two days' time.” 

Lily’s heart started racing. She knew that this was coming, a duel seemed to fit perfectly with what she thought Riddle was planning, but knowing that something was coming and hearing it confirmed were two very different things. 

“A duel?” James sounded unbothered. Sirius actually laughed from beside Snape. Lily had to work to retain her own air of nonchalance. “And why does your master believe that I will accept a duel from him? I have no reason to.” 

Snape grinned at James and Lily tightened her grip on his hand. “If you refuse, I was instructed to inform you that we have the Hollows surrounded. It has thus far remained untouched by the darkness, but that is not the only threat it faces.” 

“You come here, to my home, with threats against my people?” James asked, his voice low and cold. He sounded dangerous. 

“Accept the duel, your highness, and your people’s safety is guaranteed. You and your friends have not found a way to curb the darkness, to harness it or deter it, Lord Riddle however controls it. If you accept the duel, he will leave the Hollows forever untouched.” 

“And if I do not accept,” James’s voice still made him sound slightly unhinged and Lily didn’t know how Snape was standing before him looking as though he was enjoying what was happening. “He will wipe out the town like he did with the others? Is he hoping to win the people’s favor through fear?” 

Snape shook his head. “He is not in need of the people’s favor. Favor and loyalty can be such fickle things. What message should I bring back to my Lord? Do you accept the duel, or the demise of your people?” 

James looked over at Lily, his eyes as hard as his voice. She wished she knew what he needed to see from her in that moment, but all she could think to do was squeeze his hand again. He looked back at Snape. “Of course, I accept his duel.”

“Excellent. I know that he will be pleased.” 

“Yes, well run off and tell him,” Sirius said, reaching over and turning Snape toward the door. “Running errands is really all you are good for anyway.” 

“Quickly,” Moody added. “Before I change my mind, toss you in the dungeon and go tell Riddle myself.” 

Severus simply nodded, looking far to smug for Lily’s liking. She wished she could make him feel the fear she had felt when he’d thrown her to the floor of his dining room.

But instead, she watched him walked calmly out the door, her anger subsiding to worry when he was out of sight.

“We knew that this was coming,” James said when the doors to the private dining room were closed. Monty had joined them, sitting quietly at the head of the table. “We knew that he was going to challenge us.” 

“Not like this.” Remus sighed, his head in his hands. He sat at the opposite end of the table as Monty, off to the side. “What does he get by challenging you? Your father holds the title still.” 

“I am an old man,” Monty waved his hand away. “Riddle knows that if he defeats James, which he will not, then I am not an obstacle.” 

“Dad,” James sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest. “Do not talk like that.” 

“I said that you would not lose,” Monty grinned. “So, I have nothing to worry about.” But his smile was shallow, and his eyes gave him away. Riddle had told them that he could not be killed by any mortal. James was mortal. The only way he would win, was if he got Riddle to concede, and Lily couldn’t think of a way to make that happen. 

“You are one of the most powerful fae of our time, James,” Sirius agreed with Monty. “If anyone stands a chance against Riddle, split soul or not, it is you, brother.” 

James crossed his arms over his chest and nodded at Sirius, “Thank you, but votes of confidence are not going to do much to keep Riddle from taking the throne. He cannot be killed by mortal means,” He looked at Lily. “You even said as much.” 

She had, when she and the land had been connected and she was given both power and knowledge to knock Riddle off his feet. “He cannot be killed by a mortal.” She repeated. “But you don’t have to kill him in order to best him.” 

“Maybe he’ll show up with no hands and you can challenge him to a sword fight instead.” Remus suggested, attempting to smile. “Or, the duel is in two days, just bring me with you and stipulate that the duel has to be after sunset-”

“Remus,” James sighed, relaxing his arms only to rub his hands on his eyes. “I would never put you in that kind of danger or take advantage of your curse like that.” 

“And werewolves are not immortal,” Monty said, folding his hands in front of him. “But let us keep coming up with more ideas. Lily?” 

Lily looked at him and knew that he was asking more of her than to come up with an idea. She’d been brought back to fairyland by some kind of magic, to end Riddle's dark reign over the land, to heal what he had been broken. She had no idea how to do that, but she had exactly two days to figure it out. 

“Maybe we really will get lucky and he’ll show up without his hands,” She shrugged, because suggesting that she take James’ place here, in front of everyone, would not go over well. But she kept her eyes on Monty, so he knew that she understood what his question had meant. 

Sirius noticed the look though. “James has agreed to the duel, Lily. I know that things work differently in the mortal world, but that means that he _has_ to fight in the duel.”

Monty nodded and James looked back and forth from Lily to his father.

“I know.” Lily nodded. “I’m still learning how magic works, but I do understand the bit about making deals quite well. I’ve gone half my life doing everything I can to avoid making any kind of deal with a fae.” 

“But not all of fairyland.” James gave her a small grin and it didn’t reach his eyes. 

“I didn’t really know that the land was sentient enough to make a deal with.” Lily shrugged, smiling back at him. “Though I’ve not yet regretted that deal. Made accidentally or not.” 

Remus stood up from the table and started pacing. He would only stop feeling guilty for bringing her here after this was all over. She could understand that to an extent, but she had told him time and time again that this is where she wanted to be. 

“You are already such a strong queen,” Monty stood up as well. “There are many who would have turned and run by now.” 

“Lily’s never known how to do that,” Remus didn’t sound happy about it, but Monty was smiling. 

James walked over and put a hand on her back. “Let’s try and eat so we can get some rest.” He said, his hand trailing up and down, as though he were trying to comfort her. He was the one that needed comforting though, the crease on his forehead, the tension in his shoulders, the slight pull of his lips, it was all very telling. 

She reached out and put her hand on his arm. “That sounds like a great plan.” 

When they were back in her room later that night, they were both quiet, both lost in thought, both trying to come up with a solution to a problem that seemed impossible. 

James took off his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair before he took a seat on the couch. Lily went and sat on the edge of her bed, pulling her legs up and crossing them under her. She watched James, crouch over and rest his elbows on his knees. 

“It’s been a long day.” Lily said, reaching up and touching the burns on her neck. It had happened less than twenty-four hours ago, and yet the memory of it already felt so distant. “You haven’t slept in a while.” 

He looked up at her and grinned. “I’m alright.” His eyes darted to her neck and then up to her eyes. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m worried about you,” 

He stood from the couch and walked toward her, reaching out and brushing her hair back away from her face, his fingers trailing over her cheek. “I do not need you to worry about me. “

“You used a contraction a moment ago. I am worried.” 

James laughed and stepped even closer. Lily reached up and rested her hand on his wrist. He kept his hand where it was, and Lily forgot to breath for a moment. 

“Lily?” 

“James?” 

His thumb brushed against her cheek and it felt like taking a breath of cold air in the fall, jumping off a log into the middle of a pond, squishing your toes in moss, crunching leaves beneath your feet. Sparks of small joy, bursting against her skin as his thumb moved back and forth. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Those sparks grew and a storm of something stronger than butterflies rattled behind her ribcage. 

“Please do.” 

He was already so close, and he wasted no time in erasing the remaining space between them after she gave permission. 

She was supposed to be here. She had never been more sure of that than when James used his hands to cup her face and pull her close. Whatever powers that were out there, pulling her to fairyland, they were also pulling her to James. 

His lips felt like fire against her own, and her hands slid up his chest, to the base of his neck so she could pull him closer.

Like everything else when she compared it to the mortal world, this kiss was more. It felt more, it reached further, it pulled her in closer. But now she didn’t know if that was because of the magic that thrummed through fairyland, or if it was just because she was kissing James. It felt brighter and warmer and just… _more._ James had felt that way since she’d seen him in the woods, smirking at her from where he had sat on a tree branch. 

She was completely breathless when he pulled away. He appeared to stumble as he stepped back, though he kept his hands on her face and his eyes were honed in on her own. The golds and greens and browns overtaken by his pupils, and there was that familiar glint of mischief in them, as though he had just done something he knew he shouldn’t have, but he was going to get away with it. The way his lips were tugging up at the corner only amplified his somewhat smug demeanor. 

Maybe Lily would have felt that way a few days ago, like she shouldn’t be allowed to kiss James. But with him standing at the edge of her bed, his hands cupping her face like she was something precious to hold, not delicately as though she might break, she didn’t feel like she shouldn’t be here with him. 

Of course this is where she should be. 

And so she leaned forward and kissed him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience while I tried to write this chapter. I'm sorry that I didn't have it ready last weekend, but sometimes kiss scenes come easily to me and sometimes they really, really don't. This one was hard and took some time. 
> 
> Anyway! Let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! Here is chapter seventeen. Was there supposed to be fewer than seventeen chapters? Yep. But we are not surprised. 
> 
> Also, if you are able to donate, it'd be really cool of you to give to planned parenthood. They offer invaluable services to people all over the country and they could always use a bit more support!

When Lily woke up the next morning, James was no longer asleep on the couch. 

She was disappointed until she rolled over and saw him seated at the table, a pot of tea in front of him, one hand wrapped around a mug, and the other holding a quill that was moving furiously over a long sheet of parchment. 

He looked disheveled, his hair a mess, his shirt hanging loosely around his torso, no longer tucked into his trousers. He set down his mug so that he could bury his hand in his hair, and he kept tugging at it as she watched him. Whatever he was working on had him entirely engrossed. 

Lily pushed herself up and stretched her arms over her head. 

James looked at her and smiled before there was someone knocking quite incessantly on her door. 

Lily sighed and pushed her blankets off her legs, hopping out of bed. She was halfway to the door when Sirius just barged in. 

“You are too slow, Red.” He said, sparing her a quick glance before he found James and sat down across from him at the table. He launched into a rant- or maybe a message that sounded like a rant, about high born families that were either angry or worried about the impending duel. Sirius didn’t want to do anything to pacify or placate them. And with the looming deadline, Lily agreed that there were more important things to worry about. 

But James wasn’t playing this like Riddle was, he cared about the people, all of the people. And so he couldn’t just ignore their worries like Sirius was suggesting. 

Lily, who felt as though she wasn’t needed in this conversation, took her robe, and went to find Remus and some breakfast. 

Last night felt like a dream. 

Or maybe a candle in the middle of the dark. With everything going on, all the heavy and scary things, the kiss that they shared was a safe haven in the middle of all of that. 

She wanted to be walking down the halls, feeling as though she was floating, basking in the high that the kiss had brought about, but instead she felt anxious and worried and like she was running out of time. 

Remus found on outside the dining hall and they quietly sat at the far end of the table. 

He looked as though he had large bruises under his eyes, and he seemed to find his limbs extra heavy. 

“Is this normal?” She asked quietly, pouring him a glass of honeyed melon cider so he wouldn’t have to stand up again in order to reach the pitcher. 

“Is what normal?” He sighed. “Me looking like I’ve been run over by a bus? Yes, that is normal.” 

She started filling up her plate. “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do for you.” 

“Maybe you could just order me to feel better,” He gave her a small grin and picked up his cup.

“Remus, feel better.” She said, but she knew it wasn’t going to work. She couldn’t feel any magic. It also just didn’t see like something that magic could fix that easily. 

She still found herself hoping anyway. 

“Thanks for trying,” Remus gave her a grin. “I am fine though. Madam Pomfrey will take good care of me.” 

Lily frowned. “How long-” She stopped, thinking how tired he had looked a few days ago when she’d first arrived. “It always affects you.” 

He nodded. “Most days are good days though. Sirius, Peter and James, they all make sure of it.” 

Lily pressed her lips together. “Why would someone do this to you though? Who is the man that cursed you?” 

Remus took a sip of his juice and then sighed. “I think, for now, we have other things to focus on. I promise to tell you the entire sordid tale after we’ve figured out how to save James.” 

Lily looked down at her plate and nodded. “Right, of course. I don’t like seeing you like this, but you’re right. The duel is tomorrow.” 

Lily had already started to develop her own plan on how to save James, but it wasn’t a plan that she could share with Remus, or James. Sirius might be alright with it, but she wasn’t sure that she could trust him to keep it to himself. 

She was going to have to find a way to get Riddle to agree to duel with her instead. 

And she knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, Sirius had already pointed out to her that James _had_ to duel Riddle since he’d agreed to it, and that was binding in fairyland. And Riddle probably wasn’t going to continue to underestimate her. He would be more careful with her after what happened in her dream the other night.

“James won’t be able to kill, Riddle,” Lily said. “So what we need to do is figure out what will make him concede. Does he have any weaknesses?” 

Remus took another sip of his juice and then shook his head. “No. We’ve turned over every rock this side of the forest and we haven’t even been able to find someone who knew Riddle before a few years ago. It’s like this male just appeared one day with the intent of destroying James’ family and fairyland.” 

“That only means he was careful when he remade himself. No one else in fairyland goes by ‘Riddle?’” 

“No.” Remus set his cup down and turned to her. “I’ve always thought that he was like me. Sired by fae, but raised in the mortal world.” Lily’s frown deepened. 

“Why?” 

“Because of how he just appeared, because no matter who we talk to, no one knew about him. If we had more time, we could- well you and the others, you could go back to the mortal world and look into my theory. Maybe he has someone there that he cares about.” 

Lily bit the tip of her tongue, “I don’t think he has anyone that he cares about. You said that he has split his soul, right? When I saw him, everything about him felt wrong, just like when I was at the deadlands. There is something missing from him. All he wants is immortality and power.” 

“Then why was he going to let Snape marry you?” 

Lily shrugged. “I don’t think he actually believed that I had any power to give him. Until he saw what I could do at the Hollows, he wasn’t interested in me past using me to replace James.” 

“What did he say to you in the dream?” 

Lily looked at Remus, “I’ve already told you what he said. He tried to glamour me again, tried to get me to agree to work with him instead of against him. Since I refused, he,” She touched her neck and turned back to her plate. Remus didn’t press. 

“I don't know why he thought he could glamour you through the dream. I’ve never heard of that happening. And he had already tried to glamour you.” 

Peter walked into the room and plopped down in a chair across from the two of them. 

“Morning, Pete.” Remus nodded. “You alright, friend?” 

Peter looked up and nodded, his blonde curls bouncing slightly. “Yeah, I just, I don’t know. I feel like I let James down. All the work that I did infiltrating Snapes house, and we still got to this point.” 

“Peter, this isn’t your fault.” Lily sat up straighter. She looked around the table and sighed. “Though I suppose we’re all just sitting around here feeling guilty.” 

Peter laughed. “What do you have to feel guilty for? You came here and put Riddle in his place for the first time. No one has been able to do that!” 

“My being here also set off this chain of events.” 

Peter shrugged. “Sure, but Riddle was going to come for James throne sooner or later.” 

“Well then there’s no point in you feeling guilty either.” Lily raised a brow. 

Peter opened his mouth and then closed it. 

“I think we should all stop feeling guilty for the actions that Riddle is making.” Remus set his cup down on the table a bit clumsily and then crossed his arms over his chest. “All of this is happening because of Riddle.” 

“But maybe there was more that I could have done.” Peter put his head in his hands. 

All of these boys were tired. Lily had only been here for a few days, but she was feeling it as well. 

“There is more that we can do for him now.” Lily smiled, trying to perk herself up a bit, thinking it might help them. “We can support him and let him know that we believe in him.” 

“And then we can just hope.” Remus sighed. 

“Hope,” Lily repeated. “Don’t say that like it’s a dirty word. Hope is one of the most powerful things in the world.” They didn’t seem very moved by her words, and she didn’t blame them. 

James had to meet with generals and advisers all day, people who were concerned about what the potential outcome of the duel would mean for them and their holdings. People were on edge; the castle was too quiet. 

Sirius also wouldn’t leave Lily alone. 

“I’m fine,” She said, after ten minutes of him following her through the garden in silence. 

“I know.” He shrugged. “But James told me to stick with you, so that is what I am doing.” 

“But you don’t need to.” 

“I know,” He repeated, stepping up so they were walking next to one another. “What are you planning? I promise not to tell him.” 

Lily gave him the side eye and then huffed. “I don’t know what my plan is!” 

“Yes, you do. You want to hijack the duel.” 

“But you said that I couldn’t do that.” 

“No, I said that James could not back out, I said that he still had to fight because that is what he agreed to do. I did not say anything about what you could or could not do.” 

Lily frowned. “Yes, well, Monty seems to agree with you.” 

“He told you to step in?” Sirius raised his brow. 

“Not in so many words, but I know that’s what he’s expecting me to do. And I want to do what I can to help James, but I don’t know how to fight anyone.” 

“You do not seem to need to know how to use your magic. It almost seems as though the magic is using you. And is that not what you said to Riddle? You were the land’s weapon? A weapon does not normally do all the work alone.” 

Lily stopped walking. “And what if it doesn’t work? What if when we get there, I don’t feel the magic? What if I try to help but I’m more of a hindrance? What if I end up distracting James more than anything and that causes him to get hurt?” 

Sirius did not look like he liked her questions. He started walking off without her and she had to walk quickly to keep up with him. “I thought you were braver than this.” 

“I want to help!” She clenched her hands at her sides. “And I will do whatever I can, I just don’t know _what_ I can do, so I don’t know how to plan! You have to understand that.” She reached out and grabbed his shoulder. 

“I do!” He shouted and spun toward her. “I do get it. I do not like it though!” 

“I don’t like it either!” Lily shouted back. “I don’t like walking around blind! I have no information, I just got here a few days ago, I feel like I’m just stumbling through all of this! One minute I’m going to wake up in my bed back in the mortal world and all of this is going to be some kind of dream.” She pushed her hair back and then crossed her arms. 

Sirius’ grey eyes narrowed at her and then he let his shoulders drop. “I do not want to be upset with you. I believe that you are the true queen and that you came here to help and I do not know what to say to you to help you, but I did not mean to shout at you. I am sorry.” 

Lily laughed, she couldn’t help it. “Did you just apologize to me?” 

Sirius rolled his eyes and then flipped her off, a gesture that she’d taught him the other day. She only laughed more. “What is so funny about me saying I am sorry?” 

Lily bit her tongue and tried to compose herself. “In and of itself, nothing. But I just keep picturing what sixteen-year-old Lily would think about all of this. And she would think that the idea of you apologizing to her over anything, would be completely ridiculous.” 

Sirius cracked a grin now. “Were we really so horrible back then?” 

“Yes,” Lily nodded. “You and James loved to terrorize other fae. You had the ground swallow that one male up to his waist and then you left him there!” 

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. “Yes, but that was Bertram. He deserved it.” 

“What about the one boy whose head you inflated to twice it’s normal size?” 

“That was Benjy, and I can assure you that I have mended that fence.” 

She tilted her head. “That’s great, but you have to understand that it was a bit much for me back then. And now. I mean, I wouldn’t like it if you all started up again.” Sirius put a hand on her arm and grinned. 

“I promise that we will not start up again.” 

Lily nodded and then they started walking again. “So, you and Benjy?” 

“Yep,” He shoved his hands in his pockets and Lily smiled. “You and James?” 

“Yep.” Lily echoed. 

And then she was laughing again.

Sirius escorted her back to her room, and they sat at the table, leafing through books and sipping tea for a good while, until James all but ran into the room and slammed the door behind him, flinching as he leaned against it. 

“That was much louder than I wanted it to be.” 

“Are you hiding, James?” Sirius asked, standing up from the table. 

“Of course I am. If Lord Diggory asks me one more question, I might have to challenge _him_ to a duel just to get out of talking to him for any longer.” 

Sirius put a hand over his chest and gasped. “My king, how could you say such things,” His voice got quieter and more languid. “Lord Diggory is such an important part of our co-” He closed his eyes and blinked quickly. “I am surprised I was able to say that much. Lord Diggory is scum of the earth and I think you should duel him. Now, I am going to go and find Moody before he finds me.” 

James laughed and moved away from the door. “I am surprised he has not found you already.” 

Sirius nodded and then slipped out of the room. 

“Why did you have him follow me around all day?” Lily asked, looking down at her book. “Not that I mind his company, but still.” 

“Because I could not be with you.” 

She looked up. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re here now.” 

He smiled. “Me too.” 

She closed her book. “What is the plan for tomorrow?” 

His smile slid off his face. “Most duels take place at sundown, so we will head out to the deadlands in the morning and set up our camp. And then we will wait for him to arrive.” He took a deep breath and narrowed his gaze at her. “I would like for you to stay here with Remus. The full moon will make it impossible for him to travel.” 

“And I am sure that you have told him that you want him to stay here with me.” Lily gave him a small smile. “And I’m guessing that he gave you the same answer that I’m going to. I’m going with you tomorrow.” 

“Lily,” He took a step toward her. “I just got you here, I finally have a chance to prove myself to you, I am not going to let Riddle ruin that.” 

“You have nothing to prove to me,” Lily stood up. “And if you try and leave me here, I will still find a way out there, and I’ll be pissed at you.” She walked over to him and stood in front of him, looking up into his eyes, eyes that held an entire forest. 

“I promised-”

“And I made promises too, James.” She said. “I don’t want you to keep me safe, I want you to trust me.”

“I do trust you, I do not trust Riddle. He will have something planned for you-”

“Yes, most likely.” She nodded. “But I’m not afraid of whatever he has planned. We’ll face it when it comes. Together.” 

James reached up and cupped her face, his thumb tracing along her cheek. “Do you have to be so bullheaded?” 

Lily nodded. “Unfortunately, I do.” James laughed and then leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes. 

“I do want you with me. Even if you would be safer here.” 

“Good. Because I’m going.” 

“Can you promise me one thing?” He opened his eyes, his gaze intense. She waited for him to go on. “Promise me that you will keep yourself safe. To the best of your ability.” 

“To the best of my ability? I don’t know what that is, but yes, I promise.” She probably shouldn’t promise, but she wanted to put him at ease.

And it worked, his smile came back. “Someday, there will be time for us to see just how much magic you have access to.” 

“One day,” Lily agreed.

And she very much hoped that that was true.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! I'd like to apologize again for not updating last week and giving you all zero warning. My best friend got married and I had absolutely no time to do anything else all weekend. And then we had a wifi problem, but everything is good now!   
> You might also notice that I updated the number of chapters! And yes, I do believe that that is accurate. I've been wrong since the beginning, but I do think that there is only one chapter left!   
> I might include a little epilogue, but it will just be attached to the next chapter.   
> The next chapter is going to be hard to write, because I've known what the climactic scene was going to be since the beginning and now I've got to try and get it right!   
> Anyway! Enjoy this chapter and I'll see you all next week!

James stayed the night again. 

This time Lily insisted that he sleep on the bed. 

It was plenty large enough for the two of them, and she wanted him closer to her than the couch allowed. 

There was no romance in it however, it stemmed from the very human and mortal part of her that just needed to know that he was still there, that he was okay.

She waited until his breathing had evened out and then turned on her side, so she was facing him. She wasn’t sure how he had been able to fall asleep, but she knew that sleep was not going to find her any time soon. 

He seemed harmless in sleep. He seemed like a boy. He didn’t seem like someone who should have to go up against Riddle tomorrow, someone who would determine the fate of his people. He did not look powerful or magical, he just looked like a human man. Young, tired, and resting. 

Lily lay there next to him, curled up, the blankets tucked up over her ear and watched his chest rise and fall. She tried to focus only on that, to let the steady rhythm lull her to sleep, but it proved futile. 

Eventually, she gave up and rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. 

She wished that there was electricity in fairyworld. She was feeling guilty for not being able to call her mum. James had sent a note home for her, but that didn’t mean that whatever the note said answered all of Rose’s questions, and it was weird for Lily to go this long without calling her mum when she was away from home. 

And she felt especially guilty because she knew that tomorrow she would be putting herself in harm's way, and her mum had no idea where she really was, who she was with or what she would be doing. She was probably worried though, and that was Lily’s fault. 

She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and walked to the little table near the door. She moved books and scrolls around until she found some blank parchment and then she dug through her backpack until she found a pen. Then she went to the windowsill and sat down to write her mum a letter. The moon was bright enough that she didn’t need to worry about lighting a candle. 

She started writing, not really having a good explanation for anything, but wanting to make sure that she had something to send to her mum that was in her own handwriting. Something that would hopefully reassure her somewhat. 

She’d have to tell her the truth after things calmed down though, when she finally had time to go back to the mortal world. Back to collect her things and explain things as best she could to her mother, and then she would come back. 

It was a strange thing to be so certain of after everything terrible that had happened over such a short amount of time, but she had no doubts that this is where she was meant to be. There was a calm settled into her bones here that had never been present in the mortal world. 

She might have unwittingly entered into a deal with the land, but she didn’t think it was by chance. The land knew what it was doing, it knew that her soul was meant to be here and that was why it had chosen her. 

At least, that sounded nice to Lily, and that was how she was choosing to think about it. And, a point in favor of this theory, was that the land had done nothing to disprove it. Though maybe Lily thinking that the land would bother to do something about it if it disagreed was a bit strange. Perhaps her thinking of the land as some kind of being was incorrect, but she may have pictured the island from Moana a few times when she was thinking about fairyland as a character in this drama. 

After she finished the letter and folded the paper in half, she looked out at the castle grounds and saw that the sky was starting to get lighter. Down by the stables, fae were already hard at work preparing the horses and wagons for the journey. Disappearing and reappearing where they needed to be to get things done the most efficiently. It must have been convenient to just spin on the spot and end up somewhere miles away with little effort. 

Monty had told her that no one could apparate in or out of the castle, but she wasn’t sure why they were traveling by horse instead of magic tomorrow. 

Not that her brain was in any state to contemplate the logic behind fae travel.

They would leave in a few hours and Lily hadn’t slept at all. 

She walked back to the table and put the letter on top of a stack of books so she wouldn’t forget to ask James to send it out for her, and then she got back in bed, now thinking about Moana again. Though it was better than thinking about Riddle and she was able to sleep. 

She woke much too soon, when James sat up in bed. She had the worry tickling the back of her brain, that if he woke up without her, then he’d leave without her as well, and so the slightest movement from him was enough to wake her up, despite how tired she was. 

“Morning,” She said, letting him know that she was awake as well, but then she closed her eyes again and pulled up the blankets. 

“We won’t leave for a while still. I was just going to go and find Moody.” He stood up and Lily had to peel her eyes open again. 

“James,” 

“I will not leave without you,” He said plainly, and unable to lie there was no reason for Lily to distrust him. “I have already conceded that point.” 

“I know,” She said and then yawned. “What do you need to talk to Moody about?” 

James frowned at her. “I would rather not say.” 

Lily’s stomach clenched and she huffed, pushing herself up. He didn’t have to say it out loud for her to know what that meant. He was going to talk to the captain of the guard about what the plans should be if James didn’t return from today’s duel.

She looked at her letter on the table. That was the real reason she’d written it. In case she didn’t come back today. 

“Alright.” Lily said. “I need to post a letter, so I’ll go and find someone to help me do that.” It had been a little foolish last night to believe that James would be the one to help her. 

Lily walked over to the table and took her robe off the back of her chair and pulled it on before picking up the letter and tucking it into her pocket. She looked up to find James looking at her quietly. 

“What is it?” 

“You seem so calm.” He said. “Are you not frightened even a little bit?” 

“Of course I am,” She said, shrugging her shoulder. “I’d be a fool to no be frightened.” 

“You are so brave, Lily.” 

“So are you,” She said. “And we will get through this together. This day will have an ending where you and I are standing on the other side.” 

James smiled. “I am glad you came back when you did. I am glad that we have had this time together, even if it has been hectic and terrifying.” 

Lily took a slow breath through her nose and then let it out. “Don’t do that.” 

“I am not saying goodbye.” 

“Good. Because it was starting to sound like that is what you were doing.” 

They looked at one another for a moment and then James gave her a small grin. “Can I say goodbye for now so I can go and speak with Moody?” 

Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She understood why he was trying to lighten the mood, why he was combatting this heavy situation with humor. She could play along. “I suppose, but only if you kiss me before you go.” 

“That sounds entirely fair.” James’ grin widened and then he stepped toward her and leaned close. His lips had left hers before she’d been able to disappear in the kiss, but she still felt a bit lightheaded as she watched him walk out of the room. 

She pulled her robe tightly around her and made sure she had her letter still before she walked out of the room as well. 

“How are you feeling, Red?” Sirius asked from the horse beside Lily, some hours later. 

“I’m fine.” Lily said, knowing full well that he was asking her how she was because he could see her white knuckling the reins and probably hear her rapid heartbeat. 

She was dressed in armor. James said that it was probably uncomfortable because it hadn’t been made for her, but it was armor. Large, metal plating meant to protect her body from physical attacks. 

How could something like that ever be comfortable? How could anyone ever look as relaxed as Sirius did just now while wearing it? They were wearing it because they were about to ride out to the deadlands to watch James duel Riddle. And they might be attacked as well, that’s why they were wearing armor. 

She was not fine. 

She should have written her mother a longer note, tried to explain more. She should have hugged Remus a little tighter before she left. 

Leaving him behind had been hard. She’d never gone anywhere in fairyworld without him at her side, apart from when she was kidnapped, but that hardly counted. It felt wrong to be willingly riding away from the castle, knowing that he was still inside. 

“You look regal wearing the Potter crest on your chest there.” Lily looked down and then back up at Sirius. They were just leaving the castle grounds and James was out riding in front of the party. Lily and Sirius weren’t that far behind them and they were all surrounded by guards. 

“He didn’t tell me that that’s what it was and I’m not really in the state of mind to be paying attention to that kind of thing.” She tapped on her chest and then grabbed the reins again. “I’m sure it’s all he had that would fit me.”

“ _I’m sure_ that he is sending a message. You are one of us now, Lily. And a queen in your own right.” 

Lily took what was supposed to be a calming breath and then closed her eyes. “This day is both going by too quickly and not quickly enough at the same time.” 

Sirius nodded. “Have you figured out what you’re going to do to help James yet?” 

Lily narrowed her eyes and looked ahead of them at James, but then she saw the charm bag hanging from Sirius’ waist. James couldn’t hear them just now. 

“I’m going to do whatever I can.” She said, looking back toward James. “The prophecy said that I’m meant to end this, that Riddle will die by my hand, so that’s what I’ll do.” 

Sirius nodded. “Good.” 

“Is Remus going to be okay?” She asked. 

Sirius frowned at her. “Of course he is. You are not the only one who cares about him. We have been taking care of him-”

“I don’t mean to interrupt your little rant there, but I only ask because I’m new to this and I honestly don’t know. What happens to him when he transforms? He looked like he was in pain when I said goodbye.” 

Sirius’s shoulders dropped. “It does hurt him. The entire structure of his bones and muscles change when he transforms, and they start to ache a few days before. I told Benjy to stay with him and Pomfrey will take good care of him as well. She always does.” 

Lily nodded, trying to make room in her brain for that new information. “Why haven’t I met Benjy?” 

Sirius shrugged. “He is a guard. He has shit to do.” 

“You are a guard as well.” Lily pointed out. 

“Yes, but I am also James’ best friend, so I get to do whatever I want.” 

“How does Moody feel about that?” 

Sirius snorted. “Oh, he is thrilled that James hired me as one of his personal bodyguards.” 

“I’ve only met Moody twice, but I bet he is.” Lily bit the inside of her cheek. Her stomach as still in knots. “Can you do me a favor?” 

Sirius frowned. “Possibly.” 

“Right,” Lily nodded, “If things go south today, if I don’t make it back to the castle…” He didn’t interrupt her to tell her that she had nothing to worry about, because she did have everything to worry about and he couldn’t lie. “Can you make sure that Remus knows that I knew the risks and went anyway? That it wasn’t his fault? That I would have come back to this damn place with or without his invitation?” 

Sirius was quiet for a moment. “I will do what I can.” He promised, which was all he could do. 

The rest of the ride seemed to melt away far too quickly, and when Lily saw the deadlands appear, she rode up so she was beside James. 

She could feel the magic and nothingness mixing together already.

She started when she felt James’ hand on her arm. 

She looked over and he was looking at her softly, though still smiling. “Everything will be alright.” 

She nodded, reaching up and touching her neck. “It’s just unnerving being here.” 

It wasn’t just the feeling she was getting from the land, but this is where her dream had taken place. 

He squeezed her arm before he let go. “You do not have to come any closer-”

“James.” She shook her head and then nudged her horse forward. 

Slowly, the lush green grass beneath them turned brown, and then they had to dismount before they reached the black and white ash that covered the deadland. 

Lily got down from her horse and toed off her shoes like she had the other day when Snape had shown up at the castle. 

She’d been worried that she wouldn’t feel the buzzing once they were here, that she would feel only that sense of wrongness and emptiness. But it was still there, and it filled her with warmth and hope. 

She walked into the empty space, looking for any sign of life or Riddle himself, but she saw nothing. She dug her toes into the ash and then sat down. 

This place was so sad on the surface, but there was so much more to it brimming underneath.

James came up and sat beside her. 

“What do you feel?” He asked. 

“Hope.” She smiled at him. “I can feel the magic here, in between the death and destruction, I can feel the magic.” 

He smiled back at her. “Riddle will probably show up closer to dusk. That is when most duels take place.” Lily nodded. 

“This isn’t representative of what he can do, James.” She said, somehow knowing that what she was saying was true, as she had in the Hallows. “All of this took years, even if the visible effects didn’t appear until recently. Riddle is still mortal in more ways than he believes.” 

James reached out and took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. 

Sirius appeared on James’ other side and then Peter came up and sat beside Lily. 

“What are we looking for?” Peter asked. 

“Nargles?” Sirius asked. 

“You know I don’t know what those are.” 

“They are not real.” James squeezed her hand. 

“They most certainly are.” Sirius scoffed. “They are little invisible creatures that fly around your head and muddle your thoughts.” 

Lily laughed, “How would we find them if they are invisible.” 

“They are not real,” Peter echoed what James had already said. 

“They are real.” Sirius repeated. “And you can find something, even if you cannot see it.”

“You have yet to find a nargle.” James pointed out. 

“Sure, but that does not mean that they are not real.” 

“We should go and eat lunch.” Peter said. “I mean, it is nearly dinner time, but we never got lunch.” 

Lily nodded. “We should eat.” She didn’t feel like eating, but she did agree that they should. 

So they all stood and Lily held James’ hand while they walked back over to where Moody and the guards were setting up camp. 

They ended up helping, since no one could make food before the camp was unpacked and set up. And while Lily did need to let go of James’ hand in order to help, she stayed close to his side and touched him as much as she could. A hand on his arm, on his back, through his hair. 

He was going to be okay at the end of the day, and she honestly believed that. 

She just wasn’t so certain about her own fate. 

The first of Riddle’s men was spotted after they finally sat down to eat. 

Riddle hadn’t arrived yet, but he had sent a scout, and Lily could tell from this distance that it was Snape. He was standing far off in the middle of the deadland, looking at them. Lily looked back, continuing to eat her soup as though it was important for Snape to know that his presence didn’t bother her enough to warrant any kind of response. He was there, and she wouldn’t let him know that she cared at all. 

But that was dumb, and she knew it. 

She did care that he was there, because if he was there then Riddle was on his way. 

The feeling in the camp quickly turned sour. It hadn’t been very pleasant to begin with, but as soon as they spotted Snape, any joking or laughing that had managed to spear through the melancholy and despair, dissipated. 

Lily finished her soup and set the bowl down in front of her. 

She saw her chipped toenail polish and had the strangest thought that she should have painted her toes before she came here. 

She clenched her fists and looked over at James. He was already looking at her. 

“Everything is going to be okay,” He said, but this time she knew he was trying to convince himself. She gave him a smile, it felt weak, but she managed one. 

“Of course,” She agreed, and then she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Sir,” Moody was walking up to them, his footfalls crunching the brittle grass beneath him. “More of them have arrived.”

“Riddle?” James asked.

“Any moment now.”

James nodded and reached out to squeeze Lily’s hand before he looked over at the deadland and he frowned. “Did we hear from the Hallows yet?”

“They have remained untouched, your highness.”

“Good.” James cleared his throat. “And the castle?”

“It remains secure.” Moody gave him a sharp nod.

James looked back at Lily. “I still wish that you would have stayed home.”

_Home._

“I’m sorry, but you’re stuck with me.” She looked around for Sirius, who was walking up and down a line of guards. Peter close behind him.

“Well, that is hardly something that you should apologize for.” James grinned. He looked back at Moody. “I suppose it is time.”

Moody nodded again.

James started walking toward the field and Lily followed him. She knew that he wouldn’t let her follow him all the way, but she would walk to the deadland with him. She would show Riddle’s men the armor that she wore, that she was choosing to stand beside him, that as a vessel for the land’s magic, she was fighting against them.

She did not expect them to balk at any of that, but if James had put her in his houses crest to send a message, then she would continue to spread the message now.

Everything about her walking with him was to send a message.

And then there was Riddle. He appeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Lily’s gaze was immediately drawn to his hands, which were still attached to his arms. It didn’t look as though he’d escaped the dream unscathed either however, for his hands were gray and brittle looking, like everything else in the deadlands. It looked as though they would just crumple if too much force was applied.

Lily was glad to see that she hadn’t been the only one injured.

“I am so glad to see that you showed,” Riddle called out, his voice echoing in a way that it shouldn’t across the empty field. He was using magic already.

“You knew that I would,” James called back.

“Of course I did, you gave your word. I was talking to Lily, the one true queen,” Riddle smiled at her and she almost stopped walking. “I was worried that our little spat the other night would have kept you away.”

Lily bit the tip of her tongue and then gave him a smile. “It looks as though one of us is healing more quickly than the other.” She wasn’t even sure if her wound was still visible.

Riddle looked down at his hands. “Yes, I have to admit that I did not foresee whatever magic caused this to happen.”

“Well, I do hope to keep surprising you.” They were half a football field from one another now and Lily stopped walking, letting James go ahead on his own. She felt the rest of their party fall into line behind her, another message, another show of strength. Lily was a queen, and James’ army stood behind her.

“Yes, me as well. That is half the fun, is it not?” And then he turned his attention to James, looking at him as though he was nothing more than a small obstacle, as though he hadn’t a care in the world and would rather be doing anything else.

It was an act, Lily told herself. Riddle couldn’t be as unbothered as he looked. He was doing the same thing that she was doing, faking it. He was attempting to look as strong as he wanted people to believe he was, same as her.

They were both terrified because no one knew what was about to happen.

“Well,” Riddle held out his broken, mangled hands. “There is no use in prolonging this anymore. Take your position, Prince James. I will even let you have the first strike.”

“How gracious,” James pushed his hands together and when he pulled them apart, thunder boomed throughout the field.

And then they were dueling, and Lily was left to watch from the sidelines.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are! This worked out perfectly really, ending this story on the first day of November! I can jump right into Nano now, without having to worry about falling behind! 
> 
> This story has been so much fun for me to write and I'm so glad that so many of you followed along! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the last chapter! Thank you for all the kind messages you've left me!

The duel was a terrible display of magic. 

It was like nothing that Lily had ever seen before. Magic that she hadn’t known existed. Magic that she could feel electrifying the air between the two men as they threw spells back and forth at one another. Bright blue light flew from James’ hands and green from Riddle. 

With the sun disappearing over the dead forest, the spell light started bouncing off the ash and dust, off the soldiers at Lily’s side and the Court of Death before her. 

James was getting in some good shots, she could tell because she could see how Sirius was responding to what was going on, and she was relying on his reactions.

James was going to be fine. 

She let the thought repeat itself in her mind over and over and over. 

And when the duel was over, when James had won because Riddle waved his white flag, then Lily would have to step forward and…

She still didn’t know what she was supposed to do. She didn’t have any kind of plan, but standing here now, that didn’t bother her as it had on the way here. Instead, she had a sense of calm about her that let her know that the land had a plan all its own. 

That should have terrified her, but she didn’t have room for any more fear while she watched James throw another bolt of blue light toward Riddle. 

It seemed as though the endless onslaught of spells would go on all night, that they would continue to block and dodge the other’s spells until the sun came up once again. 

But then James’ spell hit Riddle in the leg and he fell, giving James the opening he needed to hit him again, in the chest this time, and Riddle roared in pain. 

Lily flinched, keeping her eyes on the action but tilting her head away from them. 

The soldiers behind her were cheering James on now, vocally calling for him to bring about an end to Riddle, for him to kill him here on the land that Riddle had decimated. 

And James did not want to disappoint his people. 

He unleashed on Riddle, throwing everything he had at him. 

Riddle disappeared in a glowing ball of blue light, Lily could feel the heat from where she stood on the sideline and as the fae behind her started getting more exuberant in their cheering, she started to feel dread creep up her spine. 

James couldn’t kill Riddle, she knew this to be true, James knew that. Yet he was still pouring all of his magic into this moment. 

And Lily still didn’t have a great grasp on how magic worked, but it required a sacrifice. Big magic, required a bigger sacrifice. James was going to be drained after this. 

The light softened and then let up and Riddle was lying motionless on the ground. Lily could feel everyone else on that field holding their breath, but Lily was looking at James’ shoulder. They rose and fell quickly. 

Riddle pushed himself up onto his hands and then slowly rose to his knees. He started laughing, quietly at first and then louder as he got to his feet. His court started laughing as well. It angered something deep in Lily to hear them laugh, but she also knew why they did it. 

Everything James had wasn’t enough to keep Riddle down for more than a few moments.

Riddle wasn’t going to surrender. James wasn’t going to win.

“So much confidence.” Riddle called. “And your people put so much faith in you. And yet…” He tilted his head toward James. “I will not let you go first this time.” 

James’ shoulders were still heaving. 

“You are too young,” Riddle spat, sending a curse ripping through the air toward James. James was able to move in time, but just barely. “Too lenient,” Another curse. James stumbled as he dodged. “You are the prince of a fallen queen, an ill king, and you are not fit to rule us.” James sent back a curse of his own this time, and the two spells collided in the middle, sending sparks flying out.

“You rule your men with fear,” James called back, his voice rough and raw. Lily had her hands clenched at her sides, her entire body was buzzing to the point where she felt as though she might explode. “You rule with fear and intimidation and that is no way to win the people or the land. You are not fit to rule, look! Look at what you have done-” Riddle didn’t look, he threw another curse at James and James fell to his knees to avoid getting hit. 

And the next curse hit him in the chest and he fell to his back.

“No!” Lily called out. James looked toward her for just a moment, already pushing himself upright. 

“It is a shame that you were able to turn her heart so quickly,” Riddle mocked. “Because now she gets to watch me kill you on your back.” Another curse knocked him flat on the ground and then Riddle pulled his hands apart slowly, and there was no light now, only a darkness that grew between his wounded hands. It swirled like smoke and made a shiver run up Lily’s spine.

Riddle started to move his hands forward, readying to effectively throw death at James. 

“James!” Lily shouted. She needed him to stand up, to move out of the way. She needed to get out there and protect him like she had promised Sirius she would, like she had promised herself. But he wasn’t moving, he wasn’t getting up. The last spell that Riddle had thrown was keeping him where he was.

She had to do something now. There was no time to wait for whatever plan the land had for her, there was no time to sit back and think. Her feet felt as though they were stuck to the ground, but she was going to get to James.

She took a small step forward and felt as though the magnetic buzzing started pulling her into the ground itself. She had just long enough to question whether or not the land was going to prevent her from getting out into the middle of the field before everything went dark.

One second she was trying to run toward him, trying to force her body to listen to her, the next she couldn’t see anything and she felt as though her entire body was being shoved through the eye of a needle. 

And then she was between Riddle and James.

She saw the curse coming straight toward her and she knew that James was behind her. She heard him yell for her as she threw her arms out, letting the curse hit her square in the chest. 

A bright white light shot out around her. It flashed once and then was gone.

She saw Riddle’s eyes widen as she dropped to her knees, she heard him start to scream as his hands turned to ash, just as they had in her dream. It didn’t seem to be stopping at just his hands. 

She felt James’ arms wrap around her. 

And then there was nothing. 

Bright white light made her flinch, she tried to close her eyes, and then realized that they were already closed. She tried to reach her hand up to cover her face, but her hand was too heavy. 

After a few failed attempts to open her eyes, she managed, and found herself sitting on a bench at King’s Cross of all places. 

She jumped to her feet and looked around. She was back in the mortal world? Her stomach sunk to her feet in dread and disappointment. How did she end up here? 

No.

That couldn’t be. She wasn’t really at the train station, if she was, where were the rest of the people? Where were the trains? Why did it look so clean?

“Lily?” 

She jumped and turned toward the voice. 

There was a woman on the bench now. She sat up straight and hand a regal air about her. Lily knew without knowing how she knew, that this was James’ mother. 

“I’m dead,” Lily said, falling back onto the bench with a huff. 

She had known that it was a likely outcome, that is why she had written that letter to her mother, why she had given Sirius a message to give to Remus, why she had spent as much of the day holding onto James as she could. 

It still shocked her. 

“Yes and no.” Euphamia Potter reached up and patted at the side of her head, making sure all her hair was in place. She looked pristine. Lily almost told her so. 

“Well, you are dead, your majesty, so if you and I are here talking with one another, then so am I.” 

“That is quite sound logic.” Mia smiled at her. “I need to thank you for what you just did for James.” Lily looked down at her lap. She was no longer wearing armor, but her jeans and jumper. She was still barefoot. “If you had not been willing to sacrifice yourself like you did, he would have surely joined me in the afterlife.” 

“I wanted to protect him,” Lily said, pinching one of her fingers with the others. “But did it heal the land as well?” 

“You are going back, Lily.” Mia raised her brows. “You shall see for yourself what work you still have left to do.” And then she smiled, a calm motherly smile and Lily wanted to curl up in her arms. It had been such a long week, and she didn’t want to go back to only be thrown back into the thick of it again. 

“I’m tired,” She admitted, resting her head against Mia’s shoulder. 

“I should expect so. The kind of magic you just used… no one has ever seen anything like it.” 

“I didn’t use magic,” Lily shook her head. 

“Of course you did,” Mia argued. “If you did not, you would not be here with me.” 

Lily’s frowned deepened. “Alright, I’ll bite. Where are we?” 

“We are at a crossroads Lily. I do not know this place, but it must signify change to you, yes? New beginnings and old things coming to an end?” 

Lily thought about when she had gone off to college, her mum had dropped her off here. When her sister had moved in with her fiancé, they had dropped her off here. The King’s Cross was a symbol of beginnings and endings for Lily. 

“It’s a train station. It’s how mortals get to someplace that is far away.” 

Mia nodded. “Yes, well, it sounds as though one of these trains is coming now. Do you think that you are ready to get on it?” 

She was quite comfortable where she was, and she was still so tired, but she knew that when the train appeared, she would get on it, so she nodded. “It will take me back?” 

“If that is what you want.” 

“Is any of this real? Was I just knocked unconscious?” 

“Of course it is real.” Mia patted her knee and then stood up. “Thank you again for protecting my son, your highness. I know that the two of you will rule fairyland well, no matter what kind of partners you choose to be.” 

And then the train, swift and silent, was pulling up beside her. She stood from the bench and turned to say her goodbyes to Mia, but she was already gone.

She let herself feel the fear as the doors to the train opened, and then she took a deep breath, and stepped inside. 

She woke up with a start, choking for oxygen. 

“Lily!” 

She pushed herself upright and tried to cough in her arm, but there were people grabbing at her. 

“I thought you were dead!” That was Sirius. 

“Sirius,” And there was Peter. 

“Lily,” And James.

Lily turned her head and looked at him, trying to take a deep breath. 

He had tears on his face and she cleared her throat to keep from coughing again as she reached out to brush them from his cheek. His eyes bore into hers. “You have your mother’s eyes.” She said and he pulled her to his chest. 

“You are okay.” He said. 

“Yes,” She nodded. “I told you we would come out of this together.” 

“You jumped in front of me,” 

“I did. I’m not sure how, but I did.” 

“How are you not dead?” This was Sirius again, and James let go of Lily to get the answer to that question. 

Lily shrugged. “Magic.” And then she looked around. 

The moon was still in the sky, but it was much later in the night now. The sun would be coming up soon. The court of death was nowhere to be seen, and the deadland didn’t look so dead anymore. 

She looked down at the grass beneath her and then toward the forest. She could see leaf buds in the shadows of the moon. It wasn’t fully healed yet, but it was healing. 

Her sacrifice had been enough. 

“Where is he?” She asked, looking back toward where Riddle had fallen. 

“He is gone.” James answered. “He…”

“He turned to dust.” Peter supplied. “He just vanished. A few of his men tried to fight, but it did not take long for them to all flee.” 

“The life started coming back to this place as soon as you hit the ground.” Sirius said, reaching out and brushing his hand down her arm. “We thought it was your life, we were going to stay until it finished. Also, I would like it ack-”

“If you are about to say that you were right,” James was nearly growling. 

“Right,” Sirius nodded, but then he winked at Lily and she smiled. He had suggested that sacrificing Lily’s life might bring this place back to life when they visited here the first time.

“It wasn’t my life that brought this place back. It was Riddle’s. His life had been stolen and he had to return it. He couldn’t kill me because... “ But she didn’t know why. Mia had said that she’d used big magic, but Lily wasn’t sure what that magic was, and she was blanking now. “I don’t feel magic anymore.” She said, pushing the heels of her feet into the grass. “I think I’ve fulfilled my deal with the land.” 

“Why could he not kill you?” Sirius pressed. 

Lily looked at James and tilted her head. The connection to the land might have been broken, so she couldn’t use it to draw out information. But she had a pretty good guess of her own.

“Because I was willing to make that sacrifice.” James closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his forehead to hers. 

“Please do not ever do that to me again.” 

“I’ll do my best.” Lily promised, leaning in further to kiss him. 

And this time, when their lips touched, she felt magic race through her. 

oOo

“Hurry up, Lily,” Remus called from ahead of her in the woods. 

Lily grumbled under her breath and debated throwing a branch at him. “I’m going as fast as I can! I am glad that you are feeling better, but I’m still not used to doing this!” 

“Don’t let him get to you,” James said. He was in front of her too though. They were both good for nothing. 

She hitched her purple JanSport up her shoulders and deftly stepped over a mushroom circle. 

She hated walking through the wood. She could not feel the magic like she used to, but it was still there, and she could feel it slowly leaving. Every step she took toward the mortal world was a step closer to a world without magic. 

It had been six months since Riddle had turned to ash in front of Lily. 

Six months since she’d gone back to her mum’s house and explained to her that she was moving. She hadn’t wanted to overwhelm her mother, so she’d been giving her small bits of information about fairyland over the last few months. 

She had not informed her mother that she was queen of said world, only that she lived there, that it was real, that she hadn’t been just using her imagination as a child. 

Remus called over his shoulder again and Lily smiled at him this time. 

He was annoying her because she was easily annoyed on the way back to the mortal world, because soon the colors would dim and the sounds would become more harsh, but she was almost as excited as he was this time. 

Most magic still seemed abstract to Lily, but it turned out that she had a knack for potions. Together, she and Remus had been able to modify an ancient potion that trapped shifters in a singular form, so that Remus could cross over into the mortal world without transforming into a werewolf. 

He was going to get to see his mother today for the first time in almost six years. 

Lily tried her best to catch up with Remus and James, and when he reached James, she reached out and grabbed his hand so he couldn’t get ahead of her again. Maybe he could just drag her a bit, he would pay attention to where she should put her feet. He liked to take care of her in ways like that.

Many people throughout fairyland had started the story that James and herself were soulmates. That they were destined to be together. They claimed that that was why she hadn’t died when she jumped in front of Riddle’s death curse to save James. They claimed that that was why the land had chosen her. Because her and James falling in love, was written in the stars.

It was a nice story, and she did think that she belonged with James, but she knew that it was because of her choices and not anything in the stars.

She wanted to be in fairyland, and so she was.

She wanted to be with James, and he wanted to be with her, and so they were.

“Are you going to tell your mum this time?” He asked, squeezing her hand in his.

“No,” Lily shook her head. “She managed to not get visibly upset when I introduced her to you last month, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to tell her about being queen. I’m not entirely sure that she believes me yet anyway.”

“You could bring her for a visit.”

“She said that she’s not ready yet.”

“Because she doesn’t believe you and she thinks that you are losing your mind.” James muttered.

“Probably,” Lily agreed, “But I’m still going to take things slowly so that she doesn’t lose _her_ mind.” The birds singing started to sound off key and Lily bit her lip. “Are you sure that you two can’t feel that?”

Remus looked back at her. “I didn’t feel anything. Did it happen already?”

“Yes, we’re almost there,” Lily smiled.

“You still have a connection to the land,” James shrugged. “I think you will always feel where fairyland ends and a new world begins.”

The way he said a new world and didn’t say the mortal world brought up some questions that she would save for later. She didn’t’ need to be learning about more worlds right before she went to tell her mum that everything was normal

“Maybe,” She agreed.

There was a break in the thick forest ahead, and Lily knew that it would open up to the small neighborhood that she and Remus grew up in. So close to magic, and yet an entire world away.

Remus took a deep breath at the edge of the wood and Lily let go of James hand so she could go up and link her arm through his. They were already in the mortal world now, but Lily understood that stepping out from the shadows was a big deal for Remus.

They had come up behind his mother’s house.

Lily looked toward a window she knew to be in the kitchen, and could see Hope walking past.

“Are you ready?” She asked Remus.

“You don’t have to come with me.” Remus said. “I can do this on my own.”

“I know.” Lily grinned at him and then at James as he came up on the other side of Remus. “But you and I have always made this trip together.”

Remus smiled at her appreciatively and then nodded. “I’m ready.”

“Then let’s go.” 


End file.
